Wizard Saint Natsu
by WithinTheMadness
Summary: The GMG is underway, and Wizard Saint Natsu needs to prove himself worthy of the title. A remembered past distorts the present, and both will change the future. Cover Image found on Google. Rated M for violence and suggestive content.
1. Wizard Saint Natsu

**A/N: This is a potential FanFic idea for a much stronger (borderline OP) and a smarter Natsu, one that's simply grown up and not acting quite as irrational. And not just Natsu, everybody is a bit stronger, though the ratios should still be the same, if that makes any sense.**

 **I'm still toying with how far I'll take this story, but definitely finish out events of the GMG at the very least. My available writing time is limited so chapters will likely be irregularly posted regardless.**

 **Avoiding spoilers, the short history before this segment is thus: Everyone who was on Tenrou Island still was there. The only major difference is Natsu, Wendy and Gajeel were not affected by the time lock, but were still trapped within the spell's sphere. Hopefully one day I'll actually finish the remainder of the backstory and more of the story moving forward.**

 **The events of Pandemonium I will (likely) not be writing out. I may come back and do it later, but not at first. Assume it happened as cannon, just with the minor changes you'll see before the event itself.**

 **Anywho, I'm still getting the hang of writing FanFic for the masses, so any constructive reviews on my writing style, or lack thereof, are much appreciated.**

* * *

"WELLLLCOME BACK to the Grand Magic Games!" the announcer exclaims, to the cheers of the crowd. "We have reached the middle of the games here on the third day!"

"Indeed, what kind of fierce dramas will we see today?" Yajima replies stoically. "It should be quite the event."

"With us today, we are joined by Captain Lahar, courtesy of the Magic Council."

"Thank you, Chapati Lola" Lahar responds with a small smile on his face. "It has been a while."

"Yes it certainly has, Captain." Lola happily responds. "For those of you who are curious, Captain Lahar's presence serves two functions today. Not only is he our guest judge, but he is here to oversee a special event that will take place after today's event and the matches. Give a hand for Captain Lahar!"

The cheering continues excitedly in anticipation of this unknown event. Lola turns to Lahar and questions, "you're the captain of the Custody Enforcement Squad, yes?"

"Indeed. My squad and I are the ones responsible for making arrests and escorting prisoners and suspects" Lahar answers firmly. With a small scowl he adds, "Any impropriety or law breaking will not be tolerated."

' _Oh Lahar, only you would reinforce your position while being a judge at a competition_ ' Duranbolt thinks with a smirk as Lola continues on. ' _And then you had to go and drag me here_.'

* * *

- _Flashback_ —

 _"Really Lahar? A guest judge at the Games?" Duranbolt asks confusedly._

 _"There's no reason to refuse such an offer. It's not as if I wouldn't already be there, with so many mages in the area, someone is bound to cause trouble" the captain retorts. Smiling, he adds "you should come too. At least attend."_

 _Turning away, Mest declines. "No, I probably shouldn't. Not after abandoning them as I did."_

 _"You want to see Fairy Tail alive and well, don't you? No better way than seeing them for yourself."_

 _-End Flashback—_

* * *

"Such a low blow, Lahar" Duranbolt muses to himself with a slight grin. "Even if you are right, such a low blow."

"AND NOW TO TODAY'S FIRST EVENT! THE THIRD DAY'S COMPETITION IS PANDEMONIUM!" the announcer exclaims to the cheering crowd. "ONE COMPETITOR FROM EACH TEAM, PLEASE ENTER THE ARENA!"

"I shall go" Erza declares, clinching her first to her chest. "I shall not lose!"

Shouts of encouragement rage from the Fairy Tail guild area "Whoohoo go Erza!"

"I'm going too, Kagura! I want to compete with Erza!"

"Alright, Milliana. I'll allow it" Kagura dolefully responds, already regretting the decision.

"Heh, they're sending out Erza, eh" Natsu observes quietly, then glances over to Sabertooth. ' _Hmmm, they haven't chosen yet_.' Turning back towards his team, he takes note of where they're standing. "Mira, move over closer to Gajeel, and both of you keep an eye on Sabertooth will ya?"

"Uh ok…" "Why?"

"Just do it, I'll explain in a moment. Laxus, start heading towards the arena as if you're heading out, then turn towards me as if saying something back"

"Yeah, sure, whatever" the blonde retorts, slowly making his way towards the arena, then turns back towards this team. "This better be for a good reason, I feel like an idiot." Glancing at his team, he asks "Where did 'Mystogan' go?"

"It appears that the Fairy Tail teams have chosen Erza and Laxus. My memory says he uses Lightning Magic" Rufus remarks to no one in particular."

"In that case I will go. I'll turn everyone into Black Lightning chili" the brutish Sabertooth member states, heading towards the center."

"Do whatever you want. If Natsu Dragneel isn't coming out, I don't care."

"I agree with Sting," Rogue adds sullenly. ' _Once again I am denied facing Gajeel Redfox._ '

Looking around himself, Gajeel answers the blonde lightning mage "No idea. Probably the head. Yo pyro, Sabertooth sent their green egghead guy out."

"His name is Orga, Gajeel" Mira counters.

"Yeah, whatever. Orga, ogre, same difference."

"Anyways, were they looking towards us when they made their decision?"

"It looked like it" "Yeah" came the two responses. "That white headed bloke even called you out, saying he wasn't going unless you were."

"Yeah, I heard that part" Natsu turns and looks towards the center, seeing Ogra approach Erza and the cat-faced girl. ' _What was her name again? Miranna, Mirianna? No, Milliana? That sounds right._ ' he pondered, observing the other teams. ' _Is it two L's or one L? Two N's? Oh who knows, I don't care._ ' "Alright, Laxus, I'll take this one instead. I wanted to see what Sabertooth would do."

With a grin, Laxus turns back towards his teammates. "They seem to have a hard-on for us don't they" Laxus says snarkily, to which Mira snorts, causing the others to glance at her with raised eyebrows. "Did you just snort?" Laxus cheekily questions the demoness.

"NO! That was me sneezing" Mira exclaims, covering her face as it mimics a very ripe tomato.

"That was adorable" Natsu adds, chuckling to himself as he heads to the gathered mages.

"IT WAS NOT ADORABLE YOU ASSHOLE!" the model shouts after the retreating Natsu, getting only a grin over his shoulder in response.

To his surprise, a voice he'd not heard in many years suddenly reached his ears, "it really was adorable. Even more so with how flustered she became. You haven't lost your touch, Natsu."

The Fire Prince's head shoots up in surprise, eyes scanning the crowd. _'She's here'_ he thinks to himself, eyes, looking for familiar faces. "Ears sharp as ever I see. But your eyes, I wonder…" the voice trails off, a light-hearted titter in the female's voice. Smirking lightly, he halts his search, planning to seek the owner of the voice out at a later time.

"Well, well. It appears Natsu is competing this round instead of Laxus" the leader of Sabertooth comments. Turning towards the blonde she adds, "it seems you've missed yet another opportunity to face him" with a sadistic grin on her face, amused at the Dragon Slayer's plight.

"Hmm, Natsu is competing. I will take this challenge and face him. Leave it to me" the 5th Wizard Saint announces to his team, striding towards the object of his proclamation. "I am surprised at you, Natsu" he begins, offering his hand to his opponent. "Isn't your Wizard Saint ranking after the matches? It would be unwise to wear yourself out beforehand, would it not?"

Shaking the bald man's offered hand, Natsu contents confidently. "True, it is. But they haven't told me what I will be doing for it. Likely, just another power display, like they had us do when we were first initiated 7 years ago. Though, admittedly, I don't know how effectively that will rank me, as level of power isn't everything when it comes to being a Wizard Saint. If it was, Gildarts would've been one years ago."

"Indeed, his recklessness has kept him from the title for several decades now."

"That, and his so-called womanizing tendencies, his disdain of anything with responsibility, and a number of other reasons" Natsu enforces laughing, remembering his own past. "It's ironic that all those reasons are why he is refrained from the role, and yet he was the one who beat out such weaknesses and flaws from me. Well, except womanizing. He taught me that" he provided, chuckling lightly alongside his fellow Saint.

"Welcome competitors! My apologies for missing yesterday, it was my day off" Mato pronounces to the gathered mages, after Hibiki, Obra and Novally joins them all. "Now, I shall explain the rules of Pandemonium!" Turning towards the arena's center, he stretches out his changes. "Give rise to the Forbidden City, MIDIAN!"

A large, demonic-looking city slowly rises from the arena, coming to rest a dozen meters off the arena floor, massive chains anchoring it. Sporting a dozen cathedral-sized towers, with parapets connecting each, countless windows and arch-ways spanning and honeycombing the structure. Several statues surround its outskirt, all facing outwards, giving the appearance of sentinels guarding the city from intruders. Each one a creature from one's nightmares. At the forefront, warding the bridge-like entrance, were two identical creatures, their broad flat faces facing forward, large jaws opened wide, sharp canines shimmering in a fierce show of warning to all intruders. Each were sporting sharp horns, protruding from the sides of their heads where ears would normally be. Their broad chests outstretched, displaying a magnificent appearance of power, muscles rippling down the stone bodies, resting on arms the size of a full-grown man's neck. Each paw was the size of a lion's, each with seven serrated claws gripping their pedestals menacingly, the threat made perfectly clear. The body posed like a tiger, hind legs bent in anticipation, their scaled tails high in the air on alert.

"The temple where evil monsters nest, where chaos is law. Here you shall face Pandemonium in its purest form. Kabo!"

"Where monsters nest, you say" Jura queries the game master, a grin stealing slowly across his chiseled jaw. "Intriguing."

"Niiiiice. This should be fun" Natsu adds, matching the stone mage's grin.

"It's HUGE!" Millianna screams, tail miraculously flairing out like a scared cat. "How is it doing that!" Quatro Puppy's mage brays in the background (in true anime style) while gawking at Millianna's extended tail.

"Why yes, yes it is. Thank you for noticing" Natsu ascertains in an offhand fashion, fighting a smirk at Millianna's confused reaction, before going red in embarrassment, making the connection.

"Behave Natsu, now is not the time to corrupt innocent minds" Erza reprimands, slapping her comrade on the shoulder.

"That was information I did not need to know" Hibiki comments, holding the bridge of his nose.

"If we can continue, kabo" holding up a cube with eight straws sticking out, Mato raises it towards the challengers. "Before I explain the rules, everyone please draw your lots."

"Ladies first" Natsu inclines, arm outstretched towards Mato.

"Don't mind if I do!" Millianna pounces towards their Pumpkin-headed host, pulling her straw. "Whoohoo, I'm Number 2!"

"I am no lady" Erza retorts, scowling at Natsu.

"But mademoiselle, you express a most magnificent perfume!" Natsu counters, mimicking Ichiya's voice and pose almost perfectly, much to Erza's chagrin, if her full body shiver is anything to go by.

"Ohhh you're going to pay for that, Natsu" the Knight darkly retaliates, an evil visage of proposed pain surrounding her as she marches towards the scared, minute figure holding the cup of straws. "But if you insist then I shall take mine next" Erza expresses determinedly, choosing her own straw. "It would seem I am to be first in this competition" she discloses to her opponents, holding up the marker with a bold " **1** " on its face.

"Well that's unfortunate" Natsu verbalizes, holding up his own marker with a number " **8** " on it, as the remaining competitors pick their markers.

"Now that everyone has their numbers, we shall begin, kabo. As you've likely already figured out, each number represents the order you shall compete. Within the temple city, there are 200 monsters, kabo. Well, to clarify, they're not actual monsters like each of you would encounter in the wild, though many may have similarities to them. They are magical tools that we have created, kabo. They won't attack any of you in the audience, so you may relax. They will not leave the statue perimeter that surrounds the city, kabo.

"The creatures are divided into six levels of battle power: D, C, B, A, S, and X" the diminutive host continues, as the crowd and mages respond in surprise.

"AN X CLASS? ARE THEY CRAZY?!" Makarov screeches from his balcony.

"Wow, they're really pushing these mages' limits aren't they?" the blonde, child-like spirit muses, feet dangling in the air. All pretense of her immature self gone. "Whoever faces the X class will have their hands full."

"And here I was concerned there wouldn't be a challenge" Jura ponders out loud, as Natsu nods next to him.

"If I haven't missed my guess, I would still say there won't be one" the fire mage adds, as Jura looks at him questioningly. "I don't think Erza will let any of us have a shot at fighting any of them" he articulates, chuckling lightly.

"Now, in regards to each level, there are a limited number of each, so the engaged champion will not be overwhelmed, kabo. The specific numbers are 90 D class, 60 C class, 30 B class, 15 A class, four S class, and finally only one X class. In regards to how strong a D class creature is…" he breaks off, as an armored creature comes barrelling out of city wall as if summoned, roaring at the humans before it, before charging through another wall. "Well, I think that about describes the D class creature better than I could, kabo. Of course, as you get higher up, the creatures get much exponentially stronger than that little guy, kabo" he finishes, as many in the crowd sweatdrop.

"Did he just call that creature a little guy?"

"If that's a little guy, I don't want to see what a big guy looks like"

"No kidding, an X class creature would be truly terrifying to face in any setting. And they have to do it in a confined city."

Ignoring the crowd, Mato divulges to the awaiting wizards, "be warned. The X Class monster has such strength that it is one that would challenge Wizard Saints. Often, such monsters are purposely offered only to ones of that level to avoid collateral damage." Most of the crowd and gathered mages grimace at that, fear evident on many faces.

"Well, that's interesting. It appears I should have listened to you Jura and not competed today."

"Possibly, but your earlier assessment may also prove true. We can only wait and see."

"Heh, no doubt. 10,000 Jewel says she tries fighting all of them."

"HA!" the monk barks, nearly doubling over. "Do I look like a fool to take such a bet?" he rails, mirth gracing his face as he chuckles.

"Eh, worth a shot. Would've gotten lunch out of it" he acknowledges with a smirk, turning towards the other competitors, before choosing his mark. "Hey, puppy boy" he calls out to the Quatro Puppy contender, who turns with a confused look.

"You talking to me?"

"Do you see any other pooches down here, Fido?"

"WHO THE HELL YOU CALLING FIDO!" he screeches before a question mark pops up over his head. "Who's Fido?"

' _Oh man this is too easy_ ' the slayer thinks to himself, chuckling internally, a stoic persona as his front. "Nevermind. 20,000 jewel says Erza tries fighting them all" he offers casually, watching his target process what he just said.

"Yeah, right. She'd never do that" he quickly retorts, waving off such an absurd idea.

"Alright, fifty thousand then says she beats them all" he counters, keeping his eagerness to himself.

"BEATS THEM ALL?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! She'd be stupid to try that" the blue capped man exclaims, arms waving around.

' _Oh yeah, he's definitely falling for it. Time to drive it home_ ' he deems, glancing at Jura whose pursed lips and dancing eyes bely where his attention is truly focused. "Alright then, final offer. 100,000 says she beats them all, and if you win you get your guild name back" the salmon haired man bids, hand offered towards the spike-collared man. ' _They certainly take the whole "dog" thing to an extreme_ ' he gathers silently.

Eyes at first widening at the amount, all thoughts of the money fled at the last offer. Nearly ripping Natsu's arm off "You've got a deal! FINALLY! Quatro Cerberus will rise again!" he shouts, before dancing off to celebrate his victory.

Rubbing his shoulder slightly, Natsu moves back to Jura's side, the larger man finally breaking his composure and smiling. "Well done."

"Too easy. Didn't even try to fight back" the smaller man cracks up lightly, turning his attention towards the green-hatted man. "Definitely didn't lose your touch" he hears the all-too familiar voice say between giggles, whilst smiling to himself at the woman's approval.

"Now, in order, each you will take turns selecting a number of monsters to fight with. This is called your 'Challenge Right', kabo." The host looks at each of them before continuing. "For example, if one chooses '3', then three monsters will appear within the temple, kabo. If they succeed in defeating those three, that competitor will receive three points. Then, the next competitor may exercise their 'Challenge Right' amongst the remaining 197 monsters, kabo. This will continue on a rotating cycle until zero monsters remain, or everyone's magical power reaches zero. At which point, the competition will end, kabo."

"It's like a counting game, huh."

"Exactly, miss. Situational judgement becomes quite important."

"What do you mean?" Millianna asks.

"Like I said before, the monsters have ranks. The monsters appear randomly. If you choose only six creatures with your 'Challenge Right', you may face one monster from each rank. However, you could also choose 25, and all 25 may be from the same rank, or a mixture from each of them. Also, while all chosen monsters may not appear simultaneously, they will not appear in a specific order either. If you choose 10 monsters, and 5 are A class, and 5 B class, you may face all of them at once, or in a random order as well."

"Wow, it truly is pandemonium isn't it" Mavis comments from her balcony seating. "It would be very difficult to create a stratagem with that many variables to account for."

"In other words" Hibiki offers up, "some sort of battle strategy to avoid drawing the S-rank and X-rank monsters is necessary, huh…"

"If it's all random, that sort of strategy wouldn't work" Orga retorts.

"No, with probability theory and my archive, a strategy will work to some extent" the golden laced brunette states self-assuredly.

"Now, be aware, the rank of the monsters you fight does not affect your overall score, kabo. Points are given for the number of defeated monsters only."

"Ah, there's the kicker" whispered Natsu to himself, Jura and Erza overhearing and nodding to themselves.

"Once you've entered the temple, you will be unable to withdraw until you've won, kabo."

"What happens if you go down inside the city?" Milliana questions worriedly.

"Then your point total up until that round remains the same, kabo. If in previous rounds you had already defeated five monsters, your point total will remain at five after the failed attempt. You will receive no points for that round, kabo."

"So, it would be unwise to be too greedy, then" Panterlily states aloud from the Fairy Tail guild area.

"Aye, but if you choose too few monsters per turn, others will gain or overtake you" Happy adds in.

"True, and then you have to take into account your magic recovery in between turns as well" Carla also threw in, Romeo sweating lightly next to her. "Man, they really made this round a challenge" he conveys out loud, worry crossing his brow.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, on the field_

"I was thinking this competition would all come down to the luck of the draw…" Erza affirms, head slightly bowed, eyes closed as if preparing for her next course of action.

With as confused of a look as a pumpkin faced man can muster, head cocked slightly, echoing the scarlet haired woman before him "The luck of the draw? No no no. How should I put this, kabo? It's a game where maintaining your pace and situational judgement are more important than just the order of battle…" he begins to explain, before being cut off.

"No" the knight breaks in, vigor and determination dominating her face as she looks up towards the city. "This… this is no longer a game" she renders as she steps towards the temple gates, the wanna-be oompa loompa looking on with a frown on his face, confusing all who can see him (cause a pumpkin head can't really be his actual face right? So how is he making faces with it?)

"All 200 will be my opponents" the cherry headed woman declares, a daunting figure before the werewolf and bull demented hybrid-looking creatures guarding the entrance. "I invoke my 'Challenge Right' and claim all 200!"

Most of the crowd goes silent, gawking stares mirrored on nearly everyone's faces. The voice amongst the few not remaining silent. Natsu turns and scans the crowd, finally locating the woman, one of the few persons not stone-still, her body very obviously shaking in laughter. The travel-worn cloak doing little to mask the very womanly figure she carries. Hood drawn, covering her hair and face, her legs crossed in front of her. 'Those legs' he remembers fondly. 'Long and smooth as arachnean silk.'

His musings and pleasant memories are broken off by the sounds of more laughter, this time coming from the Sabertooth bench. He seeks it out, seeing the so-called Twin Dragons doubled over, much to the embarrassment of Minerva and Rufus, who are inching away from their teammates. Fighting an angry grimace, he glances once more at the woman of his memories, winking at her and receiving a smile in return, before focusing his attention on his guildmate.

"That's… THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Mato cries out in disbelief. "IT'S NOT SET UP SO ONE PERSON COULD POSSIBLY DEFEAT THEM ALL!"

"I don't care" the woman in question declares, turning towards the MC. "I have made my decision" she delivers, before turning towards the city's entrance.

 **(A/N: Events of Pandemonium occur, no major changes except a couple armor and weapon mods, and of course enemy total. Will write this part out later, possibly, but not today)**

As the dust settles, there stood but one. One, who faced a horde. One, who defied all odds and faced creatures of nightmares. One, the Scarlet Knight, stands proudly, each breath a deep pant, chest heaving. The wounds and future scars of the battle on display for all, she musters strength from some unknown source, raising her sword high in the air. Amongst the rubble of the ruined city, the Queen of the Fairies, known as Titania, her sword clutched firmly in her grasp, she smiles.

The crowd and mages, in various levels of shock and glee, stared at the proud mage, victorious against their darkest fears.

"ERZA SCARLET HAS OBLITERATED 200 MONSTERS ALL BY HERSELF! A RESOUNDING VICTORY LIKE NO OTHER! ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!"

The pronouncement broke the wall of silence as the crowd erupts in acclamation, most getting to their feet in cheers and applause, congratulating the impressive feat.

' _Still reckless as always_ ' Duranbolt cries silently from the stands, a large smile stretching his face.

"Amazing! Fairy Tail A'S Erza Scarlet just DOMINATED the Pandemonium event! A massive victory that brooks no complaints! That was incredible! I don't foresee the applause stopping anytime soon!"

"I give up, I'm too old for this" Yajima cries, holding his head with a strained smile gracing his face

"Welp, there goes that competition. Not that I really expected anything else to be frank." Turning towards the awestruck stray, he holds his hand out palm up. "Pay up flea bag" he calls, crooking his hand. "Have my money ready by tonight, I'll be sending someone to collect it" he adds, starting towards the city.

Suddenly, a bright light appears in front of the gathered mages, and the worn out figure of Erza stumbles out of it. Catching her gently, Natsu sets her back on her feet. "Anything broken?"

"No, I don't think so. But I'm going to be sore for a while though" she replies, wincing at the pain on her jawline. As the rest of her team races out to them.

"As expected, that was amazing" the stripper remarks upon arriving.

"That was very impressive, Erza" the celestial mage added.

"Juvia agrees with her love rival," "I'M NOT YOUR LOVE RIVAL!" "Juvia thinks Erza did very well."

"YOU DAMN NEAR GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK YOU RED HEADED BIMBO!" Wendy screeches before taking Erza into a deep hug, inflaming multiple injuries in the process. She held her iron grip until Erza's groans of pain and Gray's prying pulls her off.

"Be careful with her, goodness. Can't you see she's in enough pain dammit."

"Oh chill out you oversized ice cube. She's not that hurt. Carry her back to our section and I'll start healing her" the bluenette casually remarks before walking back to their section.

"Ha ha I see little Wendy has gained your sense of rivalry with Mr Gray" Jura comments to the pinkette next to him. "Although, little may not be the correct term anymore by the looks of her" he continues, fondly remembering a young girl with a green dress wearing blue shoes with wings on them stumbling and eventually falling into their first meeting.

"Must be a dragon slayer thing. Gray has a knack for getting on our nerves" the fire user remarks, observing the reunion. "And no, she's not so little anymore. She's become a gorgeous, young woman" he agreeingly adds, as said woman turns and winks at him over her shoulder without breaking stride, a little extra sway in her hips. "She's going to be a heartbreaker for sure" he divulges with a smile, remembering the years spent on Tenrou Island with her.

"Naughty boy Natsu, corrupting innocent young girls."

"Heh heh you would know, wouldn't you" he retorts, glancing in the direction he knows the voice to be coming from, a half cocked smile on his face, seeing a smirk in response.

"What was that?" Jura queries, confused at the young man's seemingly random statement.

Waving him away, he dismisses "nothing." Watching the arena team call back the magic that created the Pandemonium event, he asks, "so what are the rest of us going to do? They going to name it a 7-way tie for second?"

"That is a good question. There's no way to defeat her, so she'll obviously receive the full 10 points. Although, that seems a bit underwhelming considering the feat she just accomplished" the bearded man opines verbally, as he too observes the deconstruction of the event.

A few minutes later, their answer came in the form of their orange-headed host leading a small squad of rune knights escorting a strange device that both Saints recognized.. It was a black orb that seemed to have an aura around it. It was hovering over a four-pronged shining chalice that hung a couple feet off the ground.

"After discussing with the judges, we concluded that the remaining seven teams must finish establishing an order of rank, kabo. Since our prepared event was, impressively, completed in historic fashion, we've prepared a simple game." Raising a hand towards the device, he conveys "this is a Magic Power Finder, or MPF, kabo. When this device is struck with magical power, that power is represented numerically, kabo. Those numerical values will be used to establish a ranking. It's a little banal, but as we already had need of it later this afternoon for Mr Dragneel here's Wizard Saint testing, we will use it now, kabo."

"A simple comparison of magical power, huh. That probably leaves me at a bit of a disadvantage" Hibiki groans.

"At least I'll get to find out how powerful I am" Millianna states enthusiastically.

"Say, Millianna. Are you free tonight?"

"Free for what?"

"Free to spend time with a handsome chap such as myself."

"Are there going to be kitties?"

' _What is it with you and kitties_ ' Hibiki sweatdrops, turning away from the confusing girl.

"A good thing they brought the Wizard Saint one. I doubt the one the Rune Knights use would have a level cap high enough for us" Natsu comments to his fellow Saint.

"Agreed" the Earth Mage answers, nodding slowly.

"I'll need your help with something when it's my turn, if you don't mind. Nothing major, simply damage control."

"I can agree to that. We don't need the arena being destroyed" came the response with a chuckle at the younger man's expense.

"I'm not THAT bad" Natsu mutters to himself. "It's a new slayer mode I've been practicing and haven't perfected yet."

"Truly? I look forward to seeing it."

"Now then, we'll continue with the order that was previously determined, kabo."

"That means I'm up!" Millianna jumps forward, throwing her cloak off, putting on display her scantily clad body, complete with stockings and a garter belt. "SO HOTTT!" can be heard throughout the crowd, nose bleeds everywhere.

' _She got embarrassed at my joke and she's wearing that?_ ' Natsu thinks to himself, trying not to stare at his opponent.

"Here I go!" She reaches back with her hand, magic gathering in it before thrusting it forward. " **Kitten Blast!** " Pink tube-like ropes spiral out, striking the orb full on, a glowing ' **700** ' pops up above it.

"Our first competitor got '700'! That being said, we don't know if that number is high or not, without any basis for comparison" the shoulder-haired blonde announcer dictates, looking to his co-hosts for support.

"Hmm" came the grunted agreement from the chef in the middle.

"We Rune Knights also use the MPF as part of our training. This one in particular we use to practice squad attacks. '700' is a high number. It's a level sufficient enough to become a squad captain."

"Millianna's real strength isn't power, it's her ability to negate it" Beth comments from the Mermaid Heel team section.

"This part of the competition is probably rather unfavorable" her teammate Risley supports, grimacing lightly.

"Next up is Quatro Puppy's Novally!" After a chorus of "Wild!" is heard from said team's bench, the number ' **265** ' is displayed. "The value is kind of low, isn't it"

"Yes, that number would not qualify for Sergeant."

"Alright, it's my turn" Hibiki confidently states, stepping forward.

"This is rather tough for Hibiki, who's a knowledge-type wizard" Eve remarks from his section.

"If only I had gone out, I could have at least matched the cat girl's score" Ren adds next to him.

"Believe in your friend, you guys!" Ichiya suddenly cries out, surprising his two comrades, as the number **'195'** pops up. "Is this what we get for believing in him?" Ren asks, whilst Ichiya cries out "Meeennn! There's a lot to learn from failure. You can take this and strive to do better."

"Yes sir!" came the chorused response, as Obra steps up to the MPF.

"That guy" Pantherlily began.

"He's the one who attacked Carla and Wendy" Happy adds.

"Yes, such a cowardly act as well" Carla finished.

Natsu's jaw clenches, stifling a growl as he hears the exceeds, restraining from acting on his anger towards his opponent.

"Calm down, Natsu. He didn't do much damage" Wendy says from the box, her concentration still on healing Erza of her more prominent wounds. "There, you're in no danger now. I've taken care of the worst. I'd heal you more, but I don't know if I'm fighting today or not, so I don't want to use too much magic" she concludes, standing up from her ministrations.

"Thank you Wendy. I appreciate what you've done."

"No problem. But next time you do something stupid like that you're on your own" Wendy adds, smirking at her adopted sister.

"I'll keep that in mind" said woman replies, smiling. Her attention then caught by the announcer's surprise at Obra's score of ' **5** '. "What's with the shrunken Tiki head?" she questions towards Lucy, who was watching.

"It came out from under Obra's cloak and head butted the orb" the celestial mage responds.

"I wonder why he'd avoid using his magic" Wendy wonders aloud.

"It was likely intentional, not to give away his abilities" the knight hypothesizes. "I wonder what their game is" she trails off, glancing towards the remainder of Raven Tail.

' _So do I_ ' Natsu thinks to himself, before smirking and taking the green witch's hat from the pumpkin. 'Hey, it even fits' he laughs to himself, tilting it forward to the right. "Not my color, but what do you think?" he asks, turning towards Jura and Millianna, their differing facial responses making him laugh.

"No, definitely not your color" the taller mage chortles, pursing his lips to hold back a laugh.

"That's so mean, taking his hat like that!" the kitty answers in fright, fists covering her mouth.

"Certainly not your color, but the look suits you" came the sultry voice, the sound caressing his ears as he smiles.

"What are you doing, Obra?! Are you stupid?!" Flare flares with a flair. **(A/N teehehe couldn't resist)**

"Silence Flare, his magic can't be shown in front of people" her team leader dictates, quieting the red head's outburst, as Kurohebi and Nullpudding cackle.

"That's a little unfortunate" the now hatless pumpkin tells Obra. "But, there are no redo, kabo" he finishes, before raising a magical display. "The current rankings are thus: in 4th place, Obra of Raven Tail. In 3rd Place, Hibiki of Blue Pegasus. In 2nd Place, Novally of Quatro Puppy. And currently in 1st Place, Millianna of Mermaid Heel. We shall continue on with the remaining three competitors" he continues before turning to said remainders, noticing his hat on the head of one smirking slayer. "Give me back my hat!" he yells, jumping up and swiping it from the thief. "Now, as I was saying, Orga of Sabertooth, I believe you're next, kabo."

"And now, the representative of the Grand Magic Game's defending champions, Sabertooth, Ogra is stepping in! The applause is amazing!" the announcer cries out, while Natsu merely yawns in response.

"Here goes…" the brutish man steps up, bringing his palms together. " **120 MM Black Lightning Cannon!** " he screams, a yellow and black ball of power rocketing towards the hovering black orb, it's impact nearly blinding to those closest as **7583"** pops up.

"His power level is over 7000!" The announcer cries out.

"Ten times my score!?" the screeching feline shouts out, tail and ears reaching for the sky. "How are they doing that, they aren't your real body parts!" the puppy's exclamation comes from the background.

"I've… I've never seen a score like that. Not even in my corps" Lahar shockingly states from the announcers booth. "Even in squad practice we don't normally reach that number."

"That's Orga! When it comes to power, he's the strongest" Lector dances next to his slayer partner. "Frosch thinks so too" also dancing. No one notices a certain lightning dragon smirking from the sidelines, as they were all holding their ears at Ogra's terrible singing celebration.

' _Not bad. At least Sabertooth aren't entirely all-show_ ' Natsu thinks stoically, politely tapping two fingers from each hand together in a light clap before crossing his arms again.

"Next up, Jura! Can one of the 10 Great Wizard Saints surpass this score!"

"Jura will win, won't he?" Sherria worriedly asks, watching Jura approach the MPF with his eyes closed in concentration.

"Of course he will" Lyon answers definitively. "I'm not worried about this" he answer, to Sherria's confused look.

"Do you mind if I go all out?" he queries of Mato.

"Of course, kabo. That's the whole point!"

"Very well." Raising his hands before him in a prayer-like pose, his body is surrounded by a yellow and brown glow. The ground around his feet start to shake, pebbles rising in the air as the arena starts to feel the release of power. Mato and the remaining competitors start to fall back, with the exception of Natsu, who stands firm, arms crossed and a perversely gleeful smile on his face.

" **RUMBLING MOUNT FUJI!** " came the sudden call, eyes glowing yellow as a large beam of power erupts under the MPF, a towering mountain appearing suddenly before dissolving into the ether.

" **37,975**! UNBELIEVABLE!" came the announcers astonished cry that was half squeal, half squawk.

"HOLY CRAP! HE NEARLY BROKE THE DAMN THING!" the resident stripper screams from his bench.

"In a word, unsurprising" came Erza's calm and smiling response.

"He was a Wizard Saint when we did that Oracion Seis mission together" Wendy added, reflecting upon her first meeting of the man. "It's really not a shock that he's even more powerful now than we was then."

"It makes you wonder if those deemed 'Wizard Saints' should have their participation in this event limited, doesn't it?" Lyon observes, not surprised in the least by his teammates power.

"Oh, is that what you were worried about?" Sherria questions the ice mage while cheering on her teammate.

"With that score he sets a new record for the MPF! The title 'Wizard Saint' is not just for show!" Lola exclaims.

"That is incredible" Makarov verbalizes, astonishment written all over his and Mavis' faces. "He's probably a match even for Gildarts."

' _Heh, you've got that right Gramps_ ' Natsu thinks, clapping for his fellow Saint. "Not bad, bud. Not bad at all. Probably a good thing you held back some, otherwise you'd be the one destroying the arena and not me" He adds with a laugh, shaking the man's hand in congratulations.

"So you noticed, did you? Yes, I figured going completely 100% would have done more damage than good. So I settled for about 80%. I cannot allow my good name to be tarnished now can I?" he responds with a chuckle, accepting the offered hand. "Now what is it you needed me to do for you? I presume it has to do with your display."

"Right in one, come with me and I'll explain" the pinkette orates, moving in the direction of the MPF.

"The last challenger is Fairy Tail B's Natsu Dragneel! This display is for… wait what is this? Oh, my! People of Fiore, viewers, competitors, and those of you in attendance! It is my very great pleasure to welcome the hostess of the Grand Magic Games! I give you, Princess Hitsui Fiore!"

The audience in attendance and most of the mages turn to look at the box dedicated to the royal court, and sure enough the greenette princess had just entered and was standing at the forefront, waving to the crowd before claiming her seat next to the king's throne.

' _Well, now, the pressure is on to make a good show of it_ ' Natsu thinks, smiling in the direction of the princess. ' _Better make this look good._ ' "Too bad I can't go all out either" he remarks, turning back to Jura. "We couldn't put on a heck of a show for the Lady" he adds chuckling along with the bigger man. "Now, what I need is a few things. That wall over there, the one devoid of stands, can you lower it for me? It faces out towards the plains and mountains beyond, so there isn't anything behind it. You can put it back up afterwards."

"Yes, I can do that" Jura responds, before turning back towards Natsu. "Shouldn't we ask permission before deforming part of the arena, though?"

*Sighs* "Yeah, you're probably right. Hey, Mato! Can I lower that wall over there for my attack? I don't want to destroy it."

"Awfully confident in your ability aren't we?" the orange headed man answers, turning back from the crowd. "Very well, if it avoids any unnecessary damage, I'll allow it."

"Thanks. Ok Jura, you heard the man." A section of the designated wall slowly lowers into the ground, revealing a beautiful sight of the open plains beyond, stretching out for miles before ending at the base of the Fiore Mountains. "Sweetness. I also need a channel, starting from…" he moves to where the other competitors were standing, 20 feet in front of the MPF, "here. And stretch to the edge of the arena. Keep the walls about 20-30 feet apart, and about 15-20 feet high. I'm confident my control of this spell is within that range, but better safe than sorry."

' _This should be interesting_ ' the earth user ponders, doing as requested by the young Saint. "There, it is done. Any other requests?"

"Nope, that'll do it. After this you can put it all back." Shaking his head, Jura retreats to where the other competitors and Mato are standing. "Do I have a time limit? I'd like not to rush this if I don't need to" the salmon haired man asks the host, looking over his shoulder.

"As long as you don't take too much time, no more than 5 minutes" came the response.

' _Five minutes. I hope that's enough_ ' the fire prince ponders, before bringing his hands together and closing his eyes, forming a triangle with his thumbs touching, the rest of his fingers extended downwards and also touching their respective opposites. Crouching down, knees slightly apart, he begins channeling his magic to his hands.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"Oh. My. God. He is NOT using that" Wendy cries out, eyes widening.

"Holy shit Salamander, are you TRYING to kill us!?" Gajeel exclaims from nearby.

"What is he doing?" Lucy and Juvia question the bluenette, confusing on their faces.

"What is the knucklehead up to now?" Laxus asks his teammate.

"No wonder he had Jura remove that wall, and build that channel. The idiot would've obliterated it otherwise" Gajeel continues, ignoring the blonde.

"Will SOMEBODY explain what's going on!" Makarov cries out from his guild's section, looking down at his two teams.

Turning and looking up at the guild master, before looking around at her teammates, Wendy sighs and begins to explain. "While we were on that island, as you all now know, Gajeel, Natsu and I spent the time training. Since we were trapped there by the spell, but not affected by the time-freezing aspect of it, we didn't have a lot of things to do. So we trained. And trained. I lost track of how many times the three of us nearly killed each other" she utters, shaking her head at some unpleasant memories. "Anyways, sometime about two years ago, Natsu figured out, or discovered, or something, I don't know. Anyways, he figured out how to fuse his magics."

"Fused? As is use multiple types at once? I thought he could already do that, as he showed with his Lightning Flame Dragon mode against Hades?" Erza asks of the young girl, piecing it together.

"No, using multiple magic is something most anyone can do. He actually fused them together into one magic. He is still able to use them separately, but he can also use them as one, newly created magic that drains as one element" the Sky Dragon Slayer adds to the consternation of her fellow guildmates. "Gajeel and I aren't entirely certain how he does it, as we each only have two magics to use ourselves. But Natsu, he has five that we know of" she informs the now astonished Fairy Tail mages.

"FIVE!" came the collective response.

"Yeah, the asshole has three dragon slayer magics, a god slayer magic, and another one" the disgruntled metal mage tosses in, arms crossed in annoyance.

"Look!" the pigtailed girl suddenly shrills out, pointing towards Natsu. "See the purple aura around him? That's his fusing attempt of his fire magics. Any moment now, it's going to… ah, there it is" she trails off, as a light pulse emanates from said man. "What was that?" the resident ice user cautiously. "That pulse was the successful fusion of Fire Dragon and Fire God magics. He always starts with those two to prepare himself for the difficulties of the others." ' _I wonder if I'd need to absorb God Slayer magic to do that too_ ' she wonders, glancing towards the Lamia Scale bench.

"Where did he get these other magics?" Mira asks, still reeling from the new knowledge, bringing the young girl out of her thoughts.

"Well, you all know he is a Fire Dragon slayer. So there's one. In the fight with Oracion Seis, he was on the wrong end of a poorly aimed White Dragon's Roar by Sting, the Sabertooth idiot over there" Wendy delivers with a sneer.

"Sabertooth? They were there too? I thought only four guilds were sent on that mission, Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter" the guild master asks to those who participated.

"There were" the bluenette confirms before continuing. "Apparently, some members of Sabertooth were passing by and heard the fighting. According to Natsu, while he was fighting some of the lesser Dark Mages, Sting suddenly appeared and started attacking, trying to help. Also according to Natsu, he was getting in the way, as they were both running into each other a lot. Sting tried to take them all out at once with a Dragon's Roar, and hit Natsu instead. For some dumb reason, the idiot decided to eat some of it, thinking to recharge his magic" Wendy cracks up as she tells the tale.

"He did the same thing with the ethernano on the Tower of Heaven against Jellal" Erza throws in, breaking the bemused silence. "It was surprisingly effective, after it nearly killed him of course."

"Of course he did, the fucking idiot" Gajeel responds before smirking. "Speaking of Jellal, that's where the third magic came from, according to the pig head."

"What do you mean?" Lucy questions as everyone else leans in for more.

Erza's eyebrows suddenly skyrocketed. "Don't tell me he can use Heavenly Body Magic too?!"

"Indeed he can" came an almost indiscernible response from the shadows, as Jellal, disguised as Mystogan, steps forward. "When he was fighting against Zero, I gave him the Flame of Rebuke to recharge his magic, and push him into Dragon Force. While a flame spell by both name and type, it was born of pure Heavenly Magic. And while I knew he could and would consume it to enhance his power, I did not think he would absorb it and add the magic type to his own abilities" he adds to the now jaw-dropped faces. "I also did not think it was possible for a slayer-type user to absorb magic of a non-slayer, but he has proven me wrong on that fact" he concludes, the shock on most everyone's faces nearly comical.

"As for the fourth magic" Wendy trudges on, "he fought against a Fire God Slayer on Tenrou Island. One of the Seven Kin. During that fight he managed to absorb some of the God Flames."

"Wait wait wait, no, that's not possible. Slayers cannot absorb a different slayers' type of magic" Makarov counters, trying to understand the boy that has now become an enigma.

"He can, if he empties his magical container" the bluenette counters, while Jellal nods in agreement. "I believe that is how he was able to assimilate my magic as well, by expending his fire magic in the fight with Zero, then assimilating what Heavenly Magic was left" the male bluenette supplies, to the girl's nod. "That's how Natsu described it as well, that he had to use up all of his Dragon Fire against Zancrow before he was able to inhale and eat his God Fire without choking on it."

"That… I don't know what to say to that" Levy softly states to no one in particular, looking in shock at the still-crouched form of their topic's discussion.

"Weren't you there with them on their training trip?" Lucy asks her friend.

"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean they told me everything. Not that I would have known what to say then either, to be completely honest."

"And then there was the lightning that I gave him on that ship" Laxus ventures, remembering the difficult fight against Grimoire Heart's master.

"Yep! And that's all five: Dragon Fire, God Fire, Dragon Lightning, White Dragon, and Heavenly Magic. He first magic fusion was combining his Dragon Fire and God Fire into what he calls Purgatory Fire. Where his Dragon fire was red, and God's fire is black, his purgatory fire is some sort of purplish-blue" Wendy informs everyone.

"That sounds more like a Unison Raid" the First Guild Master thinks aloud.

"Pretty much" the dark dragon slayer answers. "He tried explaining it to us but we didn't really get it. Maybe it's different for everyone, or bonehead is a bad teacher. Probably the second one, but the fact he did it at all means we can't ignore the possibility it's simply different."

"Ok, so you two think he's simply fusing two of his magics together?" Lucy asks the two slayers.

"Oh no. Not just two. That pose he's in, that's the same pose he spent much of the last three months of training in" Wendy verbalizes, before taking a deep breath. "He's fusing all five."

"ALL OF THEM?!" came the chorused response, eyebrows shooting to the heavens.

"Yes, all of them. I did say after fusing the two fire magics he was preparing for the others, didn't I? He's succeeded a few times in the past month or so, but the attacks he threw out were…. I don't have the words for them" Wendy quietly supplies, turning towards said man, remembering the terrifyingly amazing attacks he could throw out. "To say they were incredible would only demean them. I know that sounds starstruck, but you will all see what I mean in a few minutes. And no, I don't know which attack he's going to use. We didn't see many of them, only the results."

"She's not kidding. He'd take off most mornings and head to this isolated area about 5 miles from where we were camped out. The first time we felt it, we thought there was an earthquake the tremors were so massive. Since it stopped after a little while we didn't think anything of it. Until the next time a couple days later, same thing. We went looking for what was causing it, but didn't find anything. After about 2 weeks of it, the shrimp here decided to follow Natsu, thinking it was him. Since no one else had any better ideas we went with her. We watched Salamander just sitting there, much like he is now, for about 30 minutes before this weird glow seemed to explode from his body after he stood up. He then launched this Dragon's Roar that was a hundred times larger than anything I've ever seen before. It was remarkable. It left a crater the size of Magnolia in the mountain he was aiming at." Most of the gathered mages stared incredulously at the Metal Mage as he concluded his recollection.

"Look, Natsu is saying something to Jura."

* * *

 _Down on the Field_

"Could you repeat that?" Jura asks of Natsu, not entirely certain he heard correctly.

"You heard me" came the response from the still-crouched man. "Could you please create an effigy of Gajeel in front of the MPF. I'll tell you why once you're safely behind me again."

Jura stands there observing the young man, pondering the possible reasonings behind such a strange request. "Very well." Looking towards the Fairy Tail bench and at the startled face of said Dragon Slayer, Jura stretches out his hand, two fingers pointed at the ground in front of the MPF, raising them slowly skyward as a stone statue with remarkable likeness. "It is done. What is this about?"

"I'll tell you a secret about dragon slayers, Jura. I imagine this is true of all slayers, but dragons I am certain about" the explanation began, his eyes still closed in concentration. "A dragon's power derives from their emotions. In some forms, we are creatures of emotion. Gajeel is exceptionally stubborn in many ways, which suits his metal abilities. Wendy is very free-spirited and graceful, very much like her wind. Many have said I am temperamental. I have difficulties refuting that at times" he chuckles lightly before continuing on. "While this is all true, fire dragons are amongst the most emotional. Part of this is because our element, fire, is represented on both ends of the spectrum: Love and Rage. While that may sound sappy, it is also true."

Suddenly opening his eyes, Natsu raises himself from the ground, shoulders square towards the MPF. "The madder I get, the more powerful my attacks become."

"I can understand that. People can accomplish many things when they're affected emotionally. What does this have to do with your guildmate Gajeel though?" the larger Saint queries.

Smirking with a malicious grin, he looks over his shoulder at the earth mage. "Let me show you." Now facing the MPF, the ground again starts to shake, more violently than the previous mage's display. An otherworldly yellowish-gold aura builds up around the man, a slow pulse emanating from him. "Gajeel, years ago you committed a despicable and cowardly act against Fairy Tail and attacked Levy, Jet and Droy, and then put them on display for all to see. Gramps forbade me from acting on my anger more than I did during the war. Since then, you have earned their forgiveness, as well as the forgiveness of Fairy Tail. And though I long ago forgave you, I never forgot it." Gritting his teeth, fists clenched, the pebbles slowly start rising from the ground before accelerating, defying gravity with the sudden release of power. "Let me show you. MY. **RAGE**!"

A sudden explosion of the golden aura explodes from him, joining the stunning visual of power being displayed. "ACTIVATE FUSION DRIVE: **GATE OF ASCENSION!** " A multitude of scales crawl up the slayers skin, first purple, then yellow, then white, before settling at a dark golden color, giving him an almost angelic appearance were they feathers instead of scales.

"Fusion drive!?" came the surprised screams from the Fairy Tail bench.

"That's what he calls the fusion of his magics, and before you ask, Gate of Ascension is what he calls this particular Dragon Force. Now shut up" came the response from the two dragon slayers.

Down on the field, Natsu now had his hands outstretched to his side, palms up towards the sky. Slowly he brings them together in front of him prayer-like, closing his eyes. " **DIVINE DRAGON SECRET ART**."

"DIVINE DRAGON!?" the echoed cry came from around the stadium.

"Holy shit he's done it" came the whispered astonishment from the black haired slayer, the bluenette's eyes wide in astonishment, covering her mouth with her hand.

" **DIVINE DRAGON SECRET ART: SWORD OF THE TAXIARCH ARCHANGEL!** " he closes his right fist, fingers wrapping around a red and gold pummel of energy that appeared between his fingers, before slowly drawing it away from his open left hand. " **DAWNBREAKER!** " He raises the massive two-handed sword, both hands gripping it tightly, bringing it down to eye level, a soft chant coming from his lips that seemed to echo around the deathly silent arena:

"Knights of Heaven

Guardians of Hell

Here be where the Dragons Dwell

Where Demons walk

Where Fairies roam

Here be where Dragons call home

Across the Earth

Through the Skies

Here be where the Dragons lie.

By brightest day

By darkest night

Beware our power, DRAGON'S MIGHT!"

With that final cry, he draws back the sword in his right hand, tip pointed towards the effigy in front of the MPF. His left hand outstetched, seeming to form a shield of energy in front of him before a sudden powerful thrust forward. A solid beam of golden yellow rockets from the sword, completely encompassing the statue and MPF, scorching the ground as it races off into the distance. An explosion is seen coming from the distant mountains, the outlines of a newly-formed crater slowly becomes visible.

Back in the arena, Natsu is seen powering down, the raised pebbles falling to the ground around him as he stands tall, still facing the MPF. A large grin on his face as a ' **45,791** ' is displayed before he turns and walks back to his now jaw dropped competitors. That is, all but Jura, who was clapping in approval. "Well done. Well done indeed. I see you have not wasted the past 7 years either. Truly remarkable."

"Well, I couldn't just stand here and let you outdo me now could I?" the younger man responds with a laugh, scratching the back of his head. "I admit I was worried I'd overdo it. That attack with the sword is called **'Jericho'** and at full power probably would've leveled the arena. Five minutes wasn't a lot of time to make sure I had the power under control, but it seems I managed. Though I had to hold back quite a bit."

"Did… did he just say that was holding back?" Gray stutters out, still in disbelief at how strong his rival has gotten.

"Oh yeah. That was holding back. You should've seen the craters he was making in the Draconian Mountains. God, I'm so fucking hot right now" the bluenette vocalizes to the astonishment of everyone except her fellow slayer and accompanying bluenette. Turning towards the silent response and seeing the raised eyebrows, she challenges, "What?"

"NOTHING!" came the chorused response from Makarov, Wakaba and Macao, all holding bloody noses at the mental image of a naked Wendy.

"I thought not" she smirks, turning towards the pinkette approaching them, receiving a wink in return.

"THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" suddenly came over the loudspeakers, the announcer seeming to find his voice again. "WITH A SCORE OF 45,791 FAIRY TAIL B WINS THE SECOND GAME, TAKING SECOND PLACE FOR THE TOTAL EVENT! FAIRY TAIL FINISHES 1-2 IN THE COMPETITION PORTION! CAN ANYBODY STOP FAIRY TAIL'S RISE TO DOMINANCE?!"

At that, Natsu suddenly turns towards the announcer. "HELL NO!" he shouts before launching a fireball in the air, the crowd watching it explode into the Fairy Tail symbol. "WE'RE FAIRY TAIL!" he hollers, hands outstretched in a silent challenge to all. "WE'RE FAIRY TAIL!" came the chorused echo behind him, as everyone raises their hands up, index fingers skyward and thumb outward, palms facing them.

"Hmm, food for thought, kabo."

"Alexei" Nullpudding suddenly says to his team leader. "Here are the matchups for the battle portion."

"These pairings, quite creative. This fourth match though. That is strange" the masked leader reads the listing. "It's time to put our objective into play."

* * *

 _Back at Fairy Tail Bench_

"I see you haven't been slacking. All that training has really paid off, Natsu" their own masked teammate comments as the pinkette rejoins them.

"Yeah, well, after our fight at the Tower of Heaven, I realized just how outclassed I was. I mean hell, I had to eat pure Etherion just to beat you, and even that was only because you were worried about destroying the lacrima" came the respondent answer. "The council may have granted me your spot on the Wizard Saints for it, but I didn't really believe I had earned it then."

"That's a very… mature response, Natsu" Erza remarks, sidling up to her comrades. "I believe you have earned it by now, if for no other reason than your power level alone. That was truly impressive."

"It really was" Makarov agrees from above, all three speakers looking up to him. "I daresay you would give Gildarts a run for his money now."

"I certainly hope so. I did manage to knock him over during the S-Class trials" he provides to the astonishment of all within earshot. "Only once!" He supplies, holding his hands out in defense. "Don't think too much on it. After that he removed his limiter and, well, that was it."

"But he passed you?" Mira comments, coming to the gathered mages. "I remember Master saying you had gotten past Gildarts before we were attacked."

"He passed me because I was willing to admit defeat. After I knocked him over, he had passed me on merits of my improved strength alone. I didn't accept that as I wanted to beat him. That's when he removed his limiter and showed me his true power. I was so stunned I couldn't move, so I admitted defeat. Because I did, he passed me." He shook his head dejectedly before looking back to his guild mates. "It took me a while to truly understand that. It wasn't until I began pushing Wendy and Gajeel to their limits that it finally made sense to me."

Sighing, he turns towards the arena, watching Millianna defeat Semas from Quatro Puppy before looking at his two dragon slayer students. "True power isn't just a number. That was what I didn't understand at first." Turning back to 'Mystogan', they exchange looks before Natsu continued on, waiving a hand towards the celebrating kitten in the arena. "Right before I faced Jellal on that bloody tower, I was caught by Millianna. As you just saw, power wise, I outclass her by a large margin. Even back then, before my 7 years of training, I had the power to defeat a Wizard Saint, yet I couldn't beat a strange, cute girl with a cat fetish."

Laughing lightly, he looks at the arena as Eve and the funny looking guy from Sabertooth began their bout. ' _Some people and their choice of outfits. Jura looks like a monk, he looks like a medieval soldier, Millianna and her cats_ ' he mused before shrugging his shoulders and looking back at the still-listening Fairy Tail members. "It took interference from Happy, and me playing up the helpless kitten to finally get an opening to knock out both her and the square guy, Wally was it?"

"Helpless kitten?"

"Yeah, in my stupidity I had put on this kitten helmet. I don't know what I was thinking doing it, but afterwards I couldn't get it off. And poor Millianna, I convinced her to think I was a helpless kitten, and she prevented Wally from attacking me because of it. I should really apologize for taking advantage of her like that" he adds, scratching the back of her head sheepishly as 'Mystogan' face-palms.

"That's Millianna for you" Erza ventures, a slight smile on her lips.

"Yes, her, Sho and Wally all grew up overly obsessive about various things. I probably would have been more concerned about it, but I was too focused on achieving my goal I did not think on it as much as I should have" the disguised bluenette conjectures. "I am pleased to see she has joined a family that cares for her."

"Yes, Mermaid Heel cares for her greatly" Erza supplies, watching her friend excitedly talk with her teammates.

"But anyways, that's one of the main reasons I trained so hard while we were stuck on that island. Besides there not being much else to do, I wanted to earn the Wizard Saint title I'd been given, as well as the S-Class spot I hoped to have once we got out."

"I daresay you've earned both at this point, m'boy." Makarov smiles at the young man. "As both 3rd and 6th Guildmaster of Fairy Tail, I officially declare you an S-Class mage from this point forward. Not only because of your power and displayed abilities, but the maturity you've just portrayed to us gathered gives evidence that you have the necessary qualities to be an elite mage."

Fighting back tears, silently accepting the congratulations of the gathered mages, he jumps up to the balcony and hugs the Master of Fairy Tail. "Thanks Gramps. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't, m'boy. I know. I'm proud of you" he responds, hugging the young man in return. After a few moments, both men get their emotions under control and return to their respective viewing areas. "NOW LET'S WIN THESE GAMES AND SHOW EVERYONE WHOSE NUMBER ONE!" Fairy Tail cheers echoed in response, drowned out by the cheers of the crowd as the current match ends.

"THE MATCH IS OVER! EVE OF BLUE PEGASUS PUT UP A VALIANT EFFORT, BUT RUFUS OF SABERTOOTH IS VICTORIOUS!"

"Let's start the next match!" came the squeak from the arena, as the small man in a ref's outfit holds up his card with the competitors on it. "Next up: Fairy Tail B's Laxus Dreyar, against Raven Tail's Alexei!"

"Finally, something to do" the blonde mage comments with a smirk, before heading down to the arena.

"This one's in the bag" Gajeel remarks, leaning against the wall behind their bench.

"WHOOHOO! LAXUS KICK HIS ASS!" came a drunken call from the balcony, no one needing to look to see the lush leaning over the edge with another bottle in her hand.

"Juvia is confident Laxus will win, but Juvia feels some sort of unpleasant premonition."

"Lahar, you brought along people from your unit, right?" Yajima whispers to his co-announcer of the day.

"Eh? I mean, yes, regulations and such."

"Look out for Raven Tail. If there is any impropriety, stop the match immediately. They may be classed as a light guild by the Council, but I don't trust them."

* * *

 _Fairy Tail bench_

"Warren" Makarov commands to the mind-mage.

"Understood" came the response, before putting two fingers to his temple. "HQ to Biska, can you hear me?"

"HQ? Really Warren? No movement from Master Ivan, over."

"Understood. Thunder Legion and Lisanna, how about on your end?"

"Lisanna here, no conspicuous movements from Raven Tail's current location."

"Threaten Laxus and the Thunder Legion cannot guarantee you your lives" Freed mutters darkly in Raven Tail's direction.

"Ever says she'd like to go back to where Elfman is, so please give her permission, over." came the maniacal laugh from Bixlow to Evergreen's expense.

"I didn't say that!"

 _'Hmmm._ ' "Wendy, Gajeel, can either of you smell or hear anything from the Raven Tail bench?" Natsu asked his fellow slayers with a confused look.

*sniff sniff… sniff sniff* "I've got nothing. Might be because of the distance that I'm not getting a scent. But I'm not hearing anything either. Again, though, same reason. They are standing awfully still for watching a teammate battle" came the reply from the younger girl.

"Not a thing here either. Probably the same reasons as small fry."

"I'm not getting anything either. You both may be right, but I thought I'd at least pick up a heartbeat. And I agree Wendy, their lack of movement does seem strange" came the reply, all slayers staring daggers at the Raven Tail guild area.

"Hehehe" came the small giggle from the child-like spectre.

"Is something the matter, First?" the disgruntled older man inquires of his predecessor.

"No, nothing at all" came the cheerful reply as her gaze turns skyward. "You all will do anything to protect your friends. I'm enjoying the situation just a little bit. Okay, maybe more than a little bit" she adds, turning a big smile to the smaller man. "It's splendid!"

"I...uh...what?" came the confused response.

"The ultimate form of the guild that I've hoped for is now right before my eyes" she continues, a sad but encouraging smile gracing her lips. "You all aren't just friends. You're family. Please don't forget this Third… or was it Sixth?"

Doing his best to stifle teardrops, the foreshortened man sobs out a "Thank you for those words."

"Competitors, to the center of the arena!" came the sudden announcement as both fighters entered the grounds. "Annnd… BEGIN!"

Alexei darts forward and lands a knock-out level elbow to Laxus's face, sending the latter skiddng backwards several dozen feet before screeching out a "What the hell?!" and launching himself forward before being driven back again.

Around the arena astonished faces gasp in amazement as the Fairy Tail mage is absolutely dominated by the masked man, being beaten at every turn.

"What the hell is going on" Gajeel growls out in confusion.

"Is he getting beaten?" a slurred and astonished voice asks from the balcony, her drinking bottle disappearing in shock.

"What's happening?" Wendy asks, her face in mixed wonderment and confusion.

' _Something doesn't smell right_ ' the third slayer thinks to himself, trying to piece together what he's seeing.

"These are raging attacks from Alexei! Laxu can't lift a finger!" the amazed announcer cries out, nearly eating his microphone, suddenly seeing the blonde hit the dirt, landing on his back.

"What's the meaning of this" a recognizable voice come from the arena, but not from either competitors.

"It's a kind of illusion magic" came the response, also not resounding from a competitor.

"The others around here can't see our real bodies, the ones that are talking right now" the voice calls, before a body steps through the competitor Alexei. " Nor can they hear our voices. Rather, right now they're watching and hearing illusions fighting each other. Well done right? Not a single person has noticed. The spectators are watching a scene of that Laxus unable to lift a finger."

"Why is Laxus getting so one-sidedly beaten?!" said man's grandfather cries out, eyes bugging in concern at his grandson seemingly being outdone in every way. "Biska!"

"Ivan hasn't moved from his seat in the stands."

"Lisanna and Thunder Legion!"

"Nothing from here either, all Raven Tail members still where they've been the entire fight" the take-over mage replies, her attention divided from her assignment and the 'fight' happening on the field.

"It seems like you're admired by your guild" the masked man asks his opponent, their likenesses preparing for another bout. "I wonder what your friends are feeling right now as they watch this."

"I don't understand your intentions at all. What's the point of you winning with an illusion?" came the query, his face carefully masked from emotion.

"Our aim isn't 'victory'" the masked man sneers. "This illusion is just a smoke-screen."

"What?" came the unabashedly ignorant retort, confusion dominating the otherwise impassive face.

"Illusions are illusions. WE can change the results however we'd like. Depending on our discussion, I can even let you win." Sure enough, 'Laxus' starts counterattacking, seeming to overwhelm his masked opponent.

"Oh my! Laxus has turned the tables and is really giving it to Alexei!" the announcer cries from his booth.

"There's nothing to discuss, this has nothing to do with illusions" the younger man retorts, disposing of his jacket, then raising his eyebrows in bewilderment as the other four members of Raven Tail exit the tunnel, approaching their comrade. ' _Hmmm, why do I now smell six people down there_ ' the resident fire dragon ponders, watching as the 'fight' continues on. "Heh, so this is your gameplan. Very well. right here, right now, I'll dispose of the real you and put and end to this. All of this, and all of you" the Lightning Mage declares, fists readied in front of him.

"That's impossible" cam the indignant response from the red head, head tilted with a look of distant madness on her face.

"Reality sure is cruel" the purple bodied… man… states with a large sadistic grin.

"Even you wouldn't be able to defeat all of Raven Tail's elite" the masked man states to his opponent, his voice laced with arrogance as if speaking to a child, meeting the other fighter's glare head on.

* * *

 _In the Fairy Tail booths_

"Gajeel, Wendy… do you smell it too?"

"As in it smells like there's six people down there? Yeah, I do" came the reply from the black haired man, eyes squinting towards the arena as his nose twitches, trying to pinpoint the smells

"So do I, but I only hear the two we see in front of us. It's giving me a headache" the bluenette adds, her fingers on her temples as she makes sense of her conflicting senses.

"What do you mean that you smell six people, Natsu?" came the soft question from behind him.

"You know how we dragon slayers, at least us First Generation ones, have enhanced hearing and smelling, right Mira?" he answers without looking at the nodding woman, his own senses fighting. "Well, scents can often be muddled and confused in areas like this where there are so many people. Like right now, I can smell the individual scents of the last 10 people that have come in contact with you, and judging by the strength of them, can even give you an estimation on how long ago each one did" he continues, his own nose sniffing towards the arena. "From the arena, we can smell everyone who have competed thusfar today, from Pandemonium until now. I can still smell Erza down on the field, but it's not as strong as Laxus's is right now."

"Okay. But what does that have to do with smelling six people down there now?" the nearby celestial mage asks.

"The strength of smell from the arena is stronger" the Sky Dragon answered, still gazing at the arena. "When the match started, there were only two people down there according to our eyes, ears and noses"

"But just a couple minutes ago, we smelled four more people walked into the arena" came a gruff voice, also facing the arena.

"And that's playing havoc with our senses. Our eyes and ears tell us only two are down there, Laxus and Alexei. But our noses are telling us there are actually six. The headache is pounding" the pinkette concluded, the other two nodding in agreement, Wendy still holding her head.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"There's one more thing you should be aware of, stupid boy" the masked man reels, pulling his mask off his face. "You should know of my strength, right, son?"

"I figured with would be something like that. Shitty pops" came the calm response, frustrating the older man.

"Makarov would die before he opened his mouth. But you're different. So we'll have you tell us the location of Lumen Histoire" came the now sinister voice, shadow clouding half his face.

"What are you talking about? This is a boring conversation" verbalized the blonde, stretching his arms, loosening them up.

"You indignant little…" but he wouldn't get any further, being slammed into the arena floor by a suddenly irate Lightning Slayer. "Go to hell, 'dad'." He slowly stands back up, looking over each of his new opponents, egging them on. "Bring it on. All of you at once." Dodging each of the initial attacks, he backpedals to his original spot. " **Lightning Dragon's: ROAR!** " he belts out, enveloping all four of the standing mages, each getting knocked out in the process, before turning back to his coat. "Such a lame fight" he grumbles.

"O-our elite troops!" came a high-pitched shriek, causing the assumed victor to turn around, realizing the illusion was still in play before locating the voice's origin.

"Elite? That's pretty pathetic if those were your elite" he belittles the astonished man, watching his face turn from confusion to anger. "I ain't got a clue what youre goal is, but your guild has been targeting Fairy Tail from day one. AND NOW YOU'LL PAY!" he screams, lightning dancing around his fists.

"W-WAIT! I'M YOUR FATHER! WE'RE FAMILY! ARE YOU GOING TO HIT YOUR FATHER?!"

"My family… IS FAIRY TAIL!" came the warcry before a massive uppercut launches the man against the arena wall, the illusion finally breaking.

"What… what in the world?" the announce asks perplexed, the same question echoed in the gathered's minds.

' _Well… that explains that. Thank god the headache is finally gone._ ' the three dragon slayers each thought simultaneously.

"IVAN!" the man's father yelps, surprise and disdain in his voice and facial response.

"He's the guildmaster, kabo! Alexei's real identity was Master Ivan! Raven Tail is disqualified!"

"The match is over! Laxus is the only one left standing, single-handedly taking out the entire Raven Tail team! Laxus of Fairy Tail B is the victor!" Cheers erupt, breaking the silence as the winner grabs his jacket and moves toward his bench, passing the still unconscious Raven Tail members being collected by the Rune Knights. "And now, the final match of todays main events! Fiary Tail A's Wendy Marvel and Lamia Scale's Shelia Brendi!"

* * *

 **A/N: My descriptive capabilities are still verrry rough. I apologize. I'll be leaving ANs after chapters with references to what some of the inspirations came from.**

 **As for further chapters, both before and after, bear with me. All of my writing is being done at the library, as I don't have my own computer anymore and no moneys to replace it atm, so the chapters will likely be irregularly posted. My apologies, but that's how it is.**

 **1\. Midian is the City of Monsters in the book _Cabal_ by Clive Barker and it's movie adaptation _Nightbreed_. A fitting name for the event don't you think? Although the city isn't evil in the book, but for the sake of my AU just go with it.**

 **2\. The guardian creatures are Skrin from the cover of _Temple of the Winds_ by Terry Goodkind. Great series, I highly recommend it. **

**3\. Yes. I totally went there. And no, I wasn't about to make it 9000. I don't like him that much.**

 **4\. No, not intentional reference to Green Lantern. I honestly wrote the whole chant a while ago, then watched the _Green Lantern_ movie and realized what I'd done. **


	2. Natsu vs

**A/N: Originally, the first two chapters were one chapter of like 23k Words. Buuuut... I'm actually trying to put this all together, so now it's two chapters of about 10k.**

 **Part of me has forgone most of the backstory, merely presenting them as flashbacks. I apologize for the eventual and inevitable confusion, but I'm fighting myself in getting my story organized.**

 **As such, I'll do my best to keep everything coherent, but I sadly cannot promise it.**

 **Again, any constructive criticism on my writing style, plus tips on storyboard organization are most welcome.**

 **One more thing, I've been made aware that disclaimers are both suggested and recommended. However true this may or may not be, I am sad to say I'm not the owner of Fairy Tail. My wallet cries at that statement. Sad panda.**

* * *

 _ **"And now, the final match of todays main events! Fiary Tail A's Wendy Marvel and Lamia Scale's Shelia Brendi!"**_

' _Wendy, you're alive. I am glad_ ' Duranbolt observes, smiling at his former partner's return.

"Sherria, go out there and give it your all" Jura instructs his young guild and excitable guildmate. "Do not underestimate her."

"Yes sir!" she acknowledges cheerfully, bowing to her mentor.

"You've got this Wendy" tells his apprentice, smiling at her encouragingly. "Remember, she's a God Slayer, so her self-healing will play a major role in her survival."

"I know I know, jeez."

"Behave…"

"I'll show you behave" she mutters back, turning down the hall that leads to the arena.

"Hey…" she hears behind her, turning towards the approaching pinkette, out of earshot of everyone else. He leans in near her ear and whispers in a suddenly husky voice "if you win, I'll give you a special treat tonight" he quietly provides, lightly kissing just beneath her earlobe.

"I'll hold you to that" she whispers out, leaning in to nuzzle her cheek against the taller man's neck but being pushed gently backwards before she can. "You're such a tease" she grumbles, eliciting a chuckle. "All the more reason for you to win" he smirks, raising his eyebrows seductively, receiving another growl in response. "You're gonna pay for that, big boy" she mutters before continuing down to the field.

Smiling to himself, he returns to the gathered mages, ignoring the knowing smirk from his black haired teammate. "You just had to get her riled up, didn't you?" he asks, baring his teeth in amusement.

"No idea what you're talking about" came the amused reply as they watch their partner enter the arena.

"Competitors! To the center of the Arena! Annnnd… BEGIN!"

Wendy suddenly darts forward, punching Sherria in the gut. " **Sky Dragon: Iron Fist!** " the pinkette comically flies backwards, flopping against the ground before the bluenette is on her again, " **Sky Dragon: Level Strike** " came the call before a foot matches the fist, launching the downed girl again. "Oh come on, I thought this was a fight?" she whines at her downed opponent.

"It is!" came the cheerful response, the girl getting up. "I was simply surprised at your speed! That was incredible!"

"Ummm...thanks?" came the forced reply, unsure why her opponent is complimenting her.

"My turn! **Sky God: Boreas!** " she cries, sending a tornado at her opponent, who casually dodges out of the way. " **Sky God: Arrow Storm!** " A flurry of darkened air fires in quick succession to the dancing Dragon Slayer.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"Sky God!" crying from the Fairy Tail bench, the two slayers covering their ears. "ARRGGHH" their responses were to the suddenly screaming bench. "Did y'all not hear me tell Wendy she was a God Slayer? Jeez…"

"Wait, you knew!?"

"I just said that, popsicle, clean your ears out."

"How did you know she was a God Slayer, m'boy?"

"Because of the darkened texture of her magic. If you notice, the wind she controls is blackened, somewhat. Just like that Lightning user from Sabertooth. His magic was yellow with a black tinge to it. That's what marks them as God Slayers."

"How do you know this?" Erza finally asks.

"Remember Wendy telling you about my multiple magics? The guy Zancrow I fought on Tenrou Island when we were attacked. He was a Fire God Slayer. And much like me, he liked to talk during the fight, and explained it all. Useful information, too."

* * *

 _On the Field_

"Wow, you're really fast!"

"Damn straight! **Sky Dragon: Wing Attack!** " two massive blasts come from her fist as a gust of wind flies towards the pinkette, who raises her eyebrows before barely dodging it.

"Wow, you're really strong! I guess I should stop holding back now, huh?"

"About time. This is a fight after all."

" **Speed of Hermes who crosses the Skies: LEGS!** " came the chant from the God Slayer, a blue glow emitting from her legs before racing towards the bluenette at twice the speed, stopping right in front of the startled girl. " **Sky God: Hammer Strike!** " The sideways kick catching the girls gut, sending her backwards bent over. " **Sky God's Dance!** " The whirlwind catching the off-guard girl and sending her skyward, before jumping after her. "This isn't over yet! **Sky God: Axe Kick!** " She flips over mid-air, catching the floating dragon in the back who pummels straight to the ground in a cloud of dust.

She lands outside the cloud of dust, worry across her face and those of the gathered audience.

"Wendy…" came Carla's whispered concern, paw covering her mouth.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you. You were so strong I had to use more magic than I wanted to. But that was a great fight!" the pinkette calls, before starting towards the silent dust cloud. "Hey, are you alright?"

' _Stop walking, Shellia. She's baiting you._ ' Jura muses from his bench, his brow drawn in concentration, ignoring his teammates celebration.

"God Slayer magic outdoes Dragon Slayer magic every time. Eat that, Gray" Lyon snarks, smiling to himself.

Entering the slowly settling cloud of dust, Shellia looks around hoping to find her opponent's downed body. "Hey, are you ok? I didn't do any serious damage did I?"

" **Sky Dragon: Stormwind!** " A sudden gust of wind carries the startled girl and knocks her against the arena wall, gasping for breath before looking up. Her opponent standing tall in the now clear arena, not a scratch on her, preparing for another assault. "Is that the best you've got?" she taunts, snickering at her confused target, before a smile forms as well.

"Oh good! We can keep fighting! I was really worried there" she calls, straightening out her skirt. "You're a lot stronger than I was giving you credit for."

"When you spend over seven years getting your ass kicked by Natsu and Gajeel, you toughen up pretty quickly."

"You trained with a Wizard Saint? Oh wow, that is so cool! So I can stop holding back now, right?"

"You better. Like I said before, this is a fight, and I don't want to win because you thought I couldn't handle your best."

"Okay! Then I'll go all out from here. Don't say I didn't warn you!" Magic seals appear around her arms and legs. " **By the grace of heaven, I call upon the Cardinal Winds that run the skies: Vernier!** " She speeds towards the bluenette, commencing in a quick-paced physical brawl.

* * *

 _On the Bench_

"Isn't that the same enchantment that Wendy uses?" Lucy asks the two slayers.

"Similar, but different. I imagine it's because she's a God Slayer as opposed to Dragon Slayer. Most slayers probably all have similar attack techniques for their respective elements. Sky users have enchantments" Natsu answered for them.

"Then why isn't Wendy using it?" Gray asks.

"Because if she did, this fight would be over in a hurry" the gruff response from the second slayer.

"Not to mention, Wendy doesn't have anything to prove here. So, she's enjoying herself."

"I didn't think Wendy liked to fight? I remember she did her best to stay out of fights as much as possible" the blonde girl comments.

"She doesn't like hurting people. Probably has to do with her being a Sky Dragon slayer and their affinity for healing" he comments, watching the quick exchange of punches and kicks between the girls. "But she enjoys a good fight like any Dragon Slayer, so long as her opponent doesn't get really hurt. Gajeel and I had to literally beat it out of her to go all out when training or fighting stronger opponents. Other than that, she'd be more than happy to simply sit on the sidelines and watch us duke it out."

* * *

 _On the Field_

"You're so fast! You're keeping up with me! That's incredible!"

"You're not too bad yourself, Sherria. I'm glad. I haven't had anyone strong to fight other than Natsu and Gajeel."

" **Sky God: Dust Devil!** " a rolling plume of dust gathers around the two mages, masking everything once again. " **Sky God: Biting Crosswind!** " A wide arc of air cuts through the dust storm, crashing into the coughing girl and slamming her into the arena wall, before shooting out towards the pinkettte, " **Sky Dragon: Grip Strike!** " Her first crashes into the girls face, before a powerful knee kicks her up into the air. " **Sky Dragon: Mallet!** " A hammer-shaped gust of wind forms in her hands, swinging it almost comically at the girl before, to the shock of many, sending the girl flying across the arena, skidding to a stop.

Taking a deep breathe, both girls inhale deeply. " **Sky God** " " **Sky Dragon** " " **BELLOW/ROAR!** " Two massive funnels fire at each other, colliding in the middle of the arena, a sphere of wind kicking up dust everywhere. " **Sky Dragon: Secret Art** " yells out, everyone looking for the origin of the voice. " **Skydrill!** " A towering column of wind builds up, clearing the air as the two contestants are enveloped, then suddenly the barrier collapses into a meter-wide funnel, completely focused on the god slayer, her screams of pain and surprise sounding throughout the arena before collapsing.

' _Oh shit, I hope I didn't overdo it. I thought she could handle that_ ' she ponders, the first signs of concern gracing her face as she watches her grounded enemy.

"Oh my, it looks like Sherria's down! That last attack seemed to have knocked her out!" the announcer cries, cheers building in the crowd.

"I'm sorry, just give me a second" came a sudden statement, startling many. "Phew. Wow, you are really strong. That last attack actually hurt. Thank goodness I can heal myself, or that might have been dangerous." The pink haired girl smiles, dark winds erasing the bruises and cuts on her body."

' _Not bad at all_ ' the bluenette thinks with a smile, looking over at her opponent healing herself. ' _Though, her attacks are getting weaker. She seems to be running low on stamina. Maybe now is a good time to absorb some of her magic for myself_ ' she ponders, considering her options.

* * *

 _On the Fairy Tail Bench_

"Wow, that girl is really hanging in there. That attack would have finished t against most people" the S-Class take over mage observes.

"Yeah, she's holding up well. Wendy is doing an excellent job of keeping her attacks measured so not to overdo it. I was admittedly a bit worried with that last one, but Sherria's self-healing is keeping her in the game for now" Natsu responds, smiling at his student. "Her only real advantage is that she's not only has a God Slayer's self-healing, but she's a Sky God Slayer, which only enhances her healing abilities."

"No kidding. The other brat is tougher than she looks, but having an edge like that really helps. Too bad she's not in Fairy Tail or she could train with us" the gruff slayer supplies, also smiling at the two battling girls.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"You're pretty good, Wendy. But I think it's time that I end this, don't you think?"

"If you think you can, be my guest" came the sassy reply, approving of her opponent's attempts to beat her, watching as black and purple clouds gather around her fists, as the Lamia Scale bench erupts in chaos.

"What is she doing!" Lyon screeches, fear and shock on his face.

"I did tell her to go all out" Jura stoically replies, not lessening his teammate's concern.

"But she'll kill her with that!"

"You and Sherria both are underestimating little Wendy there" came the calm response, eyes not leaving the field.

" **God Slayer: Secret Art** " she announces, spirals of dark wind surrounding the girl's hands. " **Heavenly Gathering of Clouds!** " A massive rope of black air lashes at the dragon slayer, enveloping her completely. The resonating blast cascading skyward. ' _What in the world? That was a lot more powerful than it should have been. OH NO! I hope I didn't hurt her!_ '

*Cough cough* suddenly sounds from where her attack struck. "GAAAACKK DAMN that shit's disgusting" sounds out from the slowly appearing girl.

"You really rubbed off on her didn't you Gajeel" Mira teases her teammate about the young girl's language.

"No, that was Natsu's job" he calmly replies, said slayer suddenly choking and coughing in surprise embarrassment. The silver-haired model cocking her head at them before realization strikes, covering her mouth with both fists as she giggles at the red-faced slayer. "My my you've been a bad boy haven't you, Natsu?" she teases on, bumping shoulders with the man, smiling coyly with a devilish glint in her eyes.

"A very bad boy" a sexy voice sounds in his ears, adding to his embarrassment.

*Cough* "FUCK!" *COUGH* "Damn." A bent over, blue-haired figure slowly stands straight, hands crossed over her stomach, looking a little pale in the face. "Oh, that was such a bad idea."

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

Cracks of laughter are heard from the Fairy Tail bench, as two dragon slayers realize what just happened and, to the amusement and confusion of the others, are hanging over the partition. Their bodies violently shaking as their lungs fight for much needed oxygen, tears running down their faces. "Oh my god, I can't believe she just did that" was squeaked out between fits from the pinkette.

"That's … HAHAHAHA … That's your girl Salamander … OH MY GOD IT HURTS! HAHAHA" came the guttural response from his partner, wiping tears from his eyes as he holds his stomach.

"For those of us ignorant of what just happened, would either of you two care to explain?"

"Sheeee… haha … my goodness. She ate some of the Sky God magic… hehehe" ~deep inhale~ "whoooo" Natsu eked out, getting his breathing under control, wiping his own tears away.

"She… you mean… what?" The scarlet haired knight stutters out, gears moving in her head, trying to comprehend what happened. "She just ate the God Slayer's Magic!? IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT!?"

"Heh heh yeah… yeah she did. I'm so proud of her" Natsu confirms, smiling broadly, his eyes dancing in laughter still, the rest of the Fairy Tail members all sweat dropping before face palming themselves, all with the same thought: Only Natsu.

"I thought you said Dragon Slayers had to empty their magical container before absorbing other slayer magics?" the scarlet-haired knight queries, overcoming her shock with confusion.

"You're right, I did" he agrees, regaining his composure. "Either I was wrong, or she compressed all her magic in that healing boost she gave Sherria."

"What healing boost?" Gray asks, now looking back at the two on the arena.

"You saw how big that attack was right?" Gajeel asks, receiving nods in return. "That was because of the kid's magic. During the activation sequence, she dumped her magic into the other girl, boosting it's power."

"Why would she do that?" the celestial mage asks.

"So she could do something stupid like eating God Slayer magic in the middle of a fight, that's why" the black-haired man confirms, turning back towards the arena.

* * *

 _On the Arena_

"Ugggh. Let's not do that again." ~deep inhale and exhale~ "Alright. I can breathe normally again. And the world's stopped spinning. That's a good sign I hope" the bluenette observes, her eyes coming back into focus as she blinks rapidly, shaking the newly formed cobwebs out of her head.

The pinkette, on the other hand, has not moved since that first outburst. Surprise and confusion etched over her face, trying to comprehend not only how this girl was still standing after her attack, but what she was complaining about. "Alright, let's see what these new abilities can do" her opponent suddenly states, then watches with eyes bulging as darkened air swirls around said girl's right fist, her normal blue around her left. "Oh yeah, this is gonna be sweeeeeeet! Now… to figure out how to mix them" she murmurs, balls of air collecting in her now open palms as she brings them together, a multi-colored sphere forming between her hands.

The main crowd is silent, watching in astonishment as the fight effectively ground to a halt, first because of a massive and devastating attack that seems to have had no effect. And now because one girl is all but ignoring everyone else while playing with her magic, the other stunned into inaction. The Lamia Scale bench is amongst these, minus one bald-headed Saint who is fighting back a smile, mirth dancing in his eyes as well as he realizes what just occurred between the two young women. "Well done, Wendy. Natsu has certainly had an affect on you" he quietly states aloud, eyebrows slightly raising as said girl turns and smiles at him, a Natsu-esque grin on her face as she throws him a thumbs up.

"Don't forget, kiddo, that you're still in a fight" Natsu quietly admonishes, bringing the girl's attention back around in snap surprise. "Oh right, haha I forgot" she giggles, dispelling the building magic in her hands.

"I guess I'll have to play with this later. I wonder how much time is left?" she asks aloud, before a clock appears in front of her, '2:41, 2:40, 2:39' before disappearing. "Hmm...alright, not much time but enough for a few attacks left." Looking over at her still eye bugged opponent openly gawking at her, she cocks her head in contemplation, deciding what she wants to do. "Hey. HEY! Sherria! Wake up!" she calls, snapping her fingers at said girl, trying to get her attention to no avail. "Well bugger" she muses, before sighing deeply. ' _Looks like this fight is over. Might as well end it. Hopefully this doesn't do any serious damage._ '

Air swirls around her, a sad smile on her face as she watches her opponent, mildly aware of the counting seconds as her magic builds up. Blue and black wind gathering around her, her fingers each in a continuous circular wave, moving the winds around in tighter circles. " **Sky Dragon God: Piercing Gale!** " A foot-wide rope of blue and black air lances out, striking the still stunned pinkette in the chest, continuing before impacting against the arena wall.

Sighing sadly, she looks up to her mentor, exchanging looks with the man, each with a small smile on their faces. Neither happy with how the fight seems to have ended. "What an amazing attack from Wendy! I don't know if Sherria can recover from that! What's the call on the field?" the announcer asks as everyone watches the pumpkin headed man approach the dust cloud, waving his hands to brush away the small plume, as a timer appears in the arena with the final 00:15, 00:14 counting down slowly.

' _I really hope that wasn't too much. I'm not sure I was able to control the Sky God magic very well_ ' the bluenette worries, hoping the girl isn't in any real pain, before a smile forms on her lips. "Ugggghhh… owww that hurt" can be heard by those with excellent hearing, smiles forming on their lips as the timer hit 0:00. "That's it! The match is over! It's a draw!" came the squeak from the clearing dust cloud, the Sky God slayer still standing, sort of, with her hands on her needs and breathing hard, the oompa loompa nearby waiving his arms thusly ending the fight.

Squealing in delight, the dragon slayer runs over to the shaky girl and gives her a big hug. "I'm so happy you're not hurt!" she says, squeezing the God Slayer tightly until hearing a grunt of pain. "OOPS!" she says giggling, releasing the girl. "Here, let me help heal you. You're probably worn out" she says, her hands swirling in magic over the newly formed bruises, working in tandem with the girl's self healing, the pinkette's eyes widening in realization. "YOU! You're the one that made my last attack so large! I recognize the magic you're using, I felt it!"

"Yep! You caught me! I wanted to eat some of your magic so I increased your depleted stamina and strength so it'd be a lot bigger than normal. It worked a lot better than I thought it would. You're going to be really strong one day! I hope we can fight again when that happens!" Wendy happily states, her sweet and happy nature coming out with the younger girl.

"But why? I mean, why would you eat it at all?" she asks incredulously, still processing what happened.

"Tell you what, why don't you come hang out with us tonight after dinner and I'll explain everything ok?"

"Alright, I look forward to it!" Sherria answers, her cheerful nature returning as her aches subside. The two promptly exit the arena, arms around each other, the bluenette mostly holding up her new friend.

"What a great match! Easily the best one of the day! That's it for the Grand Magic Games today folks! We look forward to seeing you all return tomorrow for the Fourth Day!" the announcers exclaims to the cheers of the crowd, as some start getting ready to leave. "HOWEVER!" he suddenly calls, freezing many in place. "This does NOT mean the end of today's events!" he drawls, confusion amongst the faces in the crowd evident. "There is one more event occurring today, Wizard Saint Natsu Dragneel's placement!" More cheers ring in excitement, remembering the man's earlier announcement.

"What placement? I thought the MPF was going to be for my placement?" Natsu asks aloud to no one in particular, re-quipping his Wizard Saint's cloak instead of the black and silver one his team sported. He turns and looks up at his guild master, "Gramps! Do you know anything about this?"

"Nothing, m'boy. I thought as you did that the MPF was your test."

Nodding, then looks at his fellow competitors' faces for any signs of recognition, the young man turns and jumps down to the arena floor, landing lightly and walking towards the center. Looking towards the Lamia Scale bench he finds Jura. -Do you know what's going on- the thought projects to his fellow Saint, his right eyebrow raised.

-Nothing- came the thought response with a shake of his head.

 _'Hmm… You'd think they'd've told at least SOMEONE'_ he thinks to himself, before scanning the crowd and settling upon the royal booth where the princess sat, anticipation on her face as she smiles. ' _Why is she smiling? At least someone knows what's going on._ ' His eyes land on the elderly man to her side, still standing, his long beard reaching his stomach, his hooked staff in right hand. ' _Ah. Well this should be interesting._ '

* * *

 _September, X784_

 _"It is decided then" the deep voice resonates from the bearded Council Leader, his staff at rest next to him. "Due to your actions taken at the R System, also known as the Tower of Heaven, and subsequent defeat of one Jellal Fernandes, this council thus grants you the appellation of 'Wizard Saint'. Jellal Fernandes, also known to this council and Wizard Saints of Ishgar as 'Siegrain', and current title holder of '9th Wizard Saint', is immediately and irrevocably stripped of all ranks and positions. You, Natsu Dragneel, will be newly ranked 10th Wizard Saint. Wizard Saint Jura Neekis, formerly Wizard Saint rank 10th, is henceforth risen to rank 9th, in lieu of the previously stated abandoned position, until such a time as his and your actions and strength have deemed you worthy to rise in station._

 _"Council Members and gathered Wizard Saints of Ishgar, welcome 10th Wizard Saint Natsu Dragneel!" A round of applause from the 20 or so gathered mages greets the now wide-eyed pinkette standing before them in his suit and tie, doing his best to keep from fidgeting at how uncomfortable he is. Not that he could at the decision he just heard._

 _"Thank you, Council Leader and gathered members. I shall do my best to not disappoint you" was the only response he could muster, before the assembly dismisses._

 _"Well done, m'boy. Well done indeed" his guild leader praises, coming up beside the young man._

 _"Thanks Gramps. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do now. I didn't fight Jellal just to get some title, y'know" he answers, pulling at the tie, loosening it. "I hate this stupid suit. Can I take it off now?"_

 _Chuckling with a knowing nod, Gramps answers, "yes, m'boy, you can take it off. Just don't destroy it, suits are expensive you know."_

 _Pulling off the jacket and throwing it over his shoulder, holding it by the collar, he turns and smirks at his guild master. "Yeah, I know. Now that I'm a Wizard Saint, I gotta start controlling how much damage I cause, don't I?"_

 _"Yes, you most certainly do. Responsibility is an important aspect to being a Wizard Saint."_

 _"Then, I might as well start somewhere. I'd bet not destroying my jacket on the way home is a good place to start."_

 _Barking out in laughter, the smaller man turns towards the exit. "Yes, it certainly is a place to start."_

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, wizards and children of all ages! Allow me to introduce to you, Chairman of the Magic Council, Gran Doma!"

Said man steps forward, his hardened eyes scanning the crowd before finishing on Natsu, who returns the gaze with equal intensity. "Wizard Saint Natsu, eight years ago you were made a Wizard Saint after defeating the former member, Segrain, more commonly known as Jellal. During the course of your disappearance, information was provided to the Council confirming that you were not dead, merely in stasis. As such, your rank and title were put on hold until your reappearance.

"Now, three months after your reemergence, you are being granted the chance to prove yourself worthy of your rank. And should it be warranted, a new ranking will be granted to you depending on the results of your challenge. Do you accept these terms?"

"I do."

"Very well. Then meet your tester and challenger. Welcome to the arena, First Wizard Saint, GOD SERENA!"

' _Holy. Fucking. Shit_ ' the Pinkette all but screams in his head, eyes widening in shock, said man's scent reaching his nose as a wide grin growing on his face, turning in the direction of said man.

* * *

 _September, X784_

 _"NATSU!"_

 _"Hey Happy! Where's the rest of the gang?"_

 _"We're over here, dragon breath."_

 _"Hey guys. You didn't wait very long, did you?"_

 _"Not long, no" the scarlet knight answers, stepping up to the slightly shorter man. "What was the council's verdict?"_

 _"They took all of Jellal's titles, as both Jellal and Siegrain" Makarov answers instead._

 _"And then gave Jura his rank as a Wizard Saint" the pinkette adds, scratching the back of his head._

 _"Is that all? Why did they call you here specifically then?" she interrogates, looking between the two._

 _"Well... no, that's not all" their guild leader answers, scratching his cheek with his index finger._

 _"The Council, in all their brilliance and wisdom, gave your pink haired friend here a Wizard Saint title" came the answer from behind the group, turning them around the face the newcomer._

 _Bowing his head in deference, Makarov acknowledges the man. "God Serena, I was not aware you were visiting today."_

 _"You wouldn't be. I was not planning on attending, but hearing of another Dragon Slayer possibly joining the Wizard Saints intrigued me."_

 _"'Another' dragon slayer?" Erza asks, eyes widening a fraction._

 _Turning towards the young woman, but not after a long and thorough looking over, the orange haired man answers with a smirk. "Yes, I am a dragon slayer as well. I am not surprised ones such as yourselves are unaware of that."_

 _"He is also known as 'Eight-Dragon God Serena'" Makarov provides, ignoring the taunt._

 _"EIGHT!?" Natsu finally croaks, his astonishment at another Dragon Slayer turning from shock to awe._

 _"What do you mean 'such as ourselves'?" Gray interrogates, his face turning red before a metal hand grips his shoulder._

 _"Don't ask questions if you are unprepared to accept the answers" the stoic knight admonishes, her face carefully masking her own reactions._

 _Smirking at the others, Serena turns towards his fellow Saints. "I look forward to seeing just how powerful you truly are, Wizard Saint. We shall see who the Alpha Dragon truly is" he remarks before turning and walking away. "Until next time."_

 _"I look forward to it" Natsu answers, grinning as only he can._

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL! HE'S GOING TO FIGHT GOD SERENA!" Gray shouts dumbfounded.

"Well, well, well. It's about time" came the slightly high pitched voice comes from the opposite tunnel, his hands clapping slowly as he approaches. "I've waited eight years for this moment, and now it's here. Do make sure it's a decent fight would you? I would be disappointed if after all this time you've wasted my time" he sneers condescendingly, a sadistic grin on his face as he comes to a stop a short distance from his opponent.

"God Serena" he acknowledges, tilting his head slightly. "I shall endeavor to make it a good show. I must say I am surprised you would take the time to fight one as lowly as me" he snarks in response, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"Consider yourself a matter of interest and intrigue only" came the response through pursed lips. "I merely want to prove that I am still the strongest Dragon Slayer on Earthland."

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"Did he just say 'Dragon Slayer'?" Laxus asked, surprise on his face.

"Yes, God Serena utilizes eight different elements in his magic" his grandfather answered from above him, eyes builging at the confrontation in the arena.

"Yep! But he's not a true slayer though" the youngest slayer corrects. "He's like you Laxus, a Second Generation who had Lacrima infused in his body."

"Yeah, that's probably the only reason he even became the top Wizard Saint. Fusing eight lacrimas together, stupid cop out. Can't do it the hard way like the rest of us" the third slayer adds, a sneer on his face, disgust evident.

"Maybe, but there is no doubt he is very powerful" Erza adds, her concern growing.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"If you think either of us are the strongest Dragon Slayer you're sadly mistaken" the pinkette scoffs, shaking his head at his quarry's arrogance.

"Who is stronger than I you stupid boy?" Serena asks, arms out in challenge to all. "Surely you don't think that little brat is? Or the gearhead? Maybe your blonde friend? Surely not the two morons over there" he adds, thumb towards the Sabertooth bench.

"You really are as stupid as you look, aren't you?" came the calloused response with a shake of his head.

"He never was a very intelligent one" the voice belittles, Natsu fighting a reaction at this information. ' _How does she know that? Do they know each other?_ '

"I had thought to go easy on you, but now you've made me mad" an angry voice declares, bringing him out of his thoughts as a pressure builds against his chest.

"Hmph. I would've been disappointed if you had." Holding his hand up to stop the angered man, he adds, "But let's not do this here. we don't want to destroy the arena." He points in the direction of the open plain beyond the walls. "There's an open plain a few miles wide out that way. Let's fight there. No interference, no obstacles."

"Fine" came the short reply before disappearing in a flash.

Turning to the announcers and royal booths, the remaining pinkette asks, "With your permissions of course. Collateral damage would be most unfortunate for a simple rankings match" he requests, bowing slightly towards the princess.

"That is agreeable, Wizard Saint Natsu" the green haired princess addresses while standing, before the announcers can respond. "You are correct, collateral damage should be minimized. I believe that open plain is unclaimed, so any damage to it will not be detrimental."

"Thank you, your highness" came the response with his signature smile, bowing to the lovely lady before turning towards the Master of Ceremonies. "Do you wish there to be a time limit, or continue until told not to?" he asks of Mato, who is pondering the question. "Because this is a special match, we'll allow an hour or until one can no longer continue the fight, or if it is declared over to prevent any major damage to either of you." Nodding his head, Natsu agrees before bowing to the princess again and disappearing in a flash of flame.

"Where'd he learn to do that?" Lucy asks, surprised at her friend's sudden disappearance.

"Thunderbolt here taught it to him" Gajeel answers, thumbing towards the Lightning Slayer. "He's been teaching the midget it as well."

"Can't you do it, Gajeel?" Mira asks.

"No, neither of my elements have that ability. Not that I've discovered at least" he adds as multiple massive screens appear, showing the two fighters now facing each other on the open plain.

"Took you long enough, runt" the older Saint sneers as his opponent appears before him.

"Had to ask permission first."

"We're Wizard Saints, and Dragon Slayers to boot. We don't have to ask permission to do anything."

"Whatever you say, bucko. Now are you going to talk all day or are we going to fight?" he asks, his fire magic building around him.

"I'm going to wipe the floor with you, punk. You're just lucky I was told I'm not allowed to cause any fatal damage or I'd be ripping your guts out." A massive burst of power expels from the man, winds swirling around him as he releases his power, before launching himself at the pinkette.

' _Holy shit he's fast_ ' he thinks, narrowly avoiding the punch, before throwing his own which was also avoided. The two continue on dodging each other's fists for several minutes until a surprised Natsu is flung from a well-placed kick. " **Cavern Dragon's ROAR!** " a brown and green blast impacts the still sliding slayer, who crosses his arms in front of him to block it. " **Sea King Dragon: Stormblades!** " A small thundercloud forms above the two before dagger-shaped and sized water droplets pour out towards the fire user.

" **Fire Dragon: Desert Storm!** " A red and brown whirlwind appears, ripping into the cloud, vaporizing the still falling daggers. "Impressive, using dry air to counter the water. He really has improved" Makarov muses, watching the conflict. " **Fire Dragon: Hellbound Halberd!** " He fires his version of Laxus's spell at the still sneering man, who casually dodges it, watching the shaped flame go by. " **Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!** " Serena is caught off guard by the fist in his gut, sending him back a few paces.

"You'll pay for that! **Gale Dragon: Jet Stream!** " Multiple ropes of wind blasts race towards the slayer who is doing his best impressive of a spasm attack to dodge them. ' _Holy shit. This is what Wendy has to look forward to? Fucking hell_ ' he thinks between dodges as the man builds up another attack. ' _No playing around here._ _Time to upgrade._ ' " **Sea King Dragon: Encircling Deluge!** " The torrent of water merges with the wind blast, piercing blades of water drawing closer to the dodging slayer. " **Inferno Dragon: Firestorm!** " came the cry, massive plumes of swirling steam blasting skyward as a wall of fire collides with the torrent.

" **Inferno Dragon: Eruption!** " Natsu crouches down in a sprinter-like stance before launching himself at Serena, a massive shield of fire in front of him. " **Gale Dragon: Storm Mail!** " A thick protection of wind surrounds his body as his fist meets Natsu's, their elements fighting for dominance as the latter's attack tries breaking through the wind-based armor, finally throwing off his opponent. " **Cavern Dragon: Stone Spears!** " He punches the ground, sending a shockwave towards the pinkette, spears of rocky earth launching at him. " **Inferno Dragon: Molten Earth!** " His body seems to erupt in flames as he too punches the earth, the ground seeming to liquify under him as it spreads, a wave of molten rock blocking the spears and spreading in all directions.

" **Sea King Dragon: Flash Flood!** " His palms smash together, a wave of water appears from his outstretched hands, more steam rising as the immediate area is drenched in boiling water as it collides with the molten rock, steam appearing everywhere as the two attacks cancel each other out, the earth between them blackened and broken. "Not bad, not bad at all. Now that the warm-up is finished, what do you say we kick this up a notch?" He asks, not waiting for a reply as he releases more power, dispelling the gathered steam to reveal his smiling opponent.

"Yes, let's" came the response, releasing his own power as the ground between them rumbling at the colliding waves of power.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail_

"THAT WAS A WARM UP!?" Lucy cries from the Fairy Tail benches, jaw dropped in exclamation.

"You saw what he did against the MPF, didn't you? You thought any of those attacks were anywhere near that level?" Gajeel answers, not even blinking at the display between the two Saints.

"And he's only used one element as well" Wendy supplies, her arm on her knee, chin in hand as she sits on the balcony wall. "Granted, he used the second level of said element, but still only one element" she adds, watching the older slayers' power collide between them.

"Can either of you use a second level of your elements?" Mira asks of the two, looking between them.

"Yeah" "Of course" both answer, not looking at the silver haired model.

* * *

 _On the Battlefield_

"Let's dance" Natsu, breaking the silent battle before launching at his opponent again, their fists a blur to most as they exchange glancing blows while dodging each other's attacks.

"Wow, Natsu has gotten fast" Erza observes, her trained eyes widening as she follows the fight.

"What do you mean he's fast, they're barely moving" Gray drawls, watching as it seems the two are doing a slow tango across the battlefield

"Watch the ground beneath them" Makarov calls down, as he and few others of the guild watch wide-eyed at the impressive speed being displayed by their comrade. Gasps of shock echo around the gathered as they start seeing the aftershocks of several attacks affect the ground, dust and rock being kicked up by the encounter.

" **Darkness Dragon: Shadow Lock!** " Natsu suddenly comes to a halt, his body shaking as he fights off the effects. ' _What the hell? I can't move!_ ' " **Lightray Dragon: Destiny's Call!** " Natsu slowly starts rising in the sky as if being taken to the heavens, his body still rigid as he hovers a few meters off the ground. ' _This can't be good._ '

"Not bad eh? Stop your body from moving by controlling your shadow, then levitating you in the air, helpless to fight? Perfect target practice" the first-ranked Saint monologues, gathering his magic in his cupped palms before him. "I promise this attack won't kill you, but it will hurt. A lot. Good-bye you little punk, a shame you couldn't put up a better fight."

A sickly yellow and black ball of energy forms in his hands as he draws back like a pitcher, before tossing it at the incapacitated slayer. " **Acid Dragon: Bone Peeler!** " The ball impacts the slayer in a neon explosion, a scream of pain heard to all as mouths are covered in shock and fear. "Welp, this was a nice diversion" he adds, turning from his downed prey.

"This isn't over yet you asshole" a gasping voice calls out, the surprise evident on all, none more so than Serena. "I'm still standing."

With a grin, he turns around and faces the hunched over man gasping for air, his coat shredded and blood red flames covering his body. "Well then, it's your funeral" he answers with a shrug, releasing his power again in a swirling mass of color before darting towards his prey, his fist reared. " **Darkness Dragon: Shadow Grasp!** " His hand seems to disappear and reappear from the ground, hitting the shocked man in an uppercut. " **Mirage Dragon: Clone!** " Multiple Serenas suddenly appear, all with sneers on their face as they take turns knocking the man between them like a pinball before one of them lands his elbow on the man's neck, before a second knees him in the face directly into a third's water-covered fist. " **Sea King Dragon: Shipwreck!** "

" **Inferno Dragon: Roasting Bath!** " A number of girls in the Fairy Tail guild sweatdrop at this, disbelieving he'd use such a cheesy spell in a major fight, watching as Natsu blocks the punch with his fist while boiling the water away.

"Seriously?" Lucy asks disbelieving, her unimpressed look mirrored on several women. "That's got to be the cheesiest thing ever."

"Maybe, but it's working. Look!" Gray points towards the lacrima screens where Serena's face seems to be changing from sneer to in pain.

"ARGGGHHH!" Serena cries falling back, holding his now puffy fist, his mirages and magic dying back. "What the hell did you do to me!?"

"Heh heh can't handle the heat, can you? Like I said, you're nothing but a fake dragon slayer. Pathetic" Natsu admonishes, standing up with a grin, getting his breathing under control, before punching the still agonizing man, sending him flying through the air to a skidded stop. "Let me show you the power of a TRUE dragon slayer!" He takes a deep breath and exhales before crimson and gold fire erupts from his feet. " **MOLTEN CORE!** " Reddened scales climb across his body, his canines becoming more feral as he grins at his shocked opponent as the visage of a dragon forms above him.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"Oh my… did he just..." Mira begins, eyes wide in astonishment.

"Sure did, he just entered the Dragon Force" Wendy confirms, smiling widely.

"So this is what it looks like" Erza muses as she observes her friend.

"He's gotten even stronger since the last two times I saw this" 'Mystogan' supplies, his face unreadable behind his mask. "Impressive that he is able to activate it without outside interference."

"Yeah, it took Salamander a long time to figure out how" Gajeel opines, his arms crossed. "He was pissed off about it for years before he managed it. Really got on the nerves at times."

"Can either Gajeel or Wendy do that?" Juvia asks, the only response a pair of smiles.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"YOU THINK THAT'S ENOUGH TO DEFEAT ME!?" the God cries out, anger evident on his face before he releases his own power. "YOU ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO ME! **CAVERN DRAGON: SINKHOLE! SEA KING CAVERN DARKNESS DRAGON: CRUSHING DEPTHS!** " A massive hole forms in the Earth beneath the pink fighter before being filled with water black as night, the unexpected lack of foothold catching Natsu off guard as he falls into the rapidly filling hole, splashing into the water.

"What the hell is this shit!" came the cry sputtering and spitting out the black liquid, his attempts to stay afloat seeming to be restricted by the dark water. ' _Why the fuck is it so hard to move! It's like moving through mud!_ '

"This is the end for you, Natsu" he spits out, still safely on the ground as he forms a ball in his hand. "My Crushing Depths is equivalent to water at the bottom of the deepest lakes, and thick as a large mud pit. Good-bye, Dragon Slayer" he spits out. " **Sea King Dragon: Water Lock!** " A large sphere of water rises from the filled hole, a lone finger barely seen struggling inside.

" **Fire Dragon King's ROAR!** " A massive funnel of flame launches out of the water sphere, striking the shocked Saint with clenched hands, sending him sprawling as the water sphere breaks, a grinning pink haired finger floating above the water, wings of fire emitting from his back, flapping to keep him airborne. " **Fire Dragon King: Sword Horn!** " Headbutting the rising man, he's sent sprawling again before rolling back onto his feet. " **Acid Gale Dragon: Acid Rain!** " Sickly thunderclouds form in a hurry, purple and yellow droplets hailing down on the field at the Fire user. " **Fire Dragon King: Concussion Blast!** " He all but spits out a large missile-shaped fireball that explodes on contact with the cloud, dissipating it, but not before a few stray drops hit his arms. "ARGHH SHIT that stuff hurts like a mother…"

"WHO'S PATHETIC NOW YOU LITTLE TWERP! **LIGHTRAY MIRAGE DRAGON: LIGHT OF DAWN!** " His fists pound together as a brilliant light shines, blinding all viewing it. Only Natsu's instincts save him in dodging multiple fast paced punches. " **Fire Dragon King: Flame Elbow!** " His attack misses, but the diversion allows him to escape the blinding light. " **Fire Dragon King: Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade Storm!** " He charges towards his opponent as if to headbutt before unleashing a hail of punches and kicks all caked in golden yellow flames. Serena dodges and blocks all of them before countering, " **Lightray Dragon: Holy Seal!** " His forceful palm to the chest backs Natsu up in surprise as his magic disperses, looking around in shock.

"What the hell did you do?!"

"I sealed your fire magic away. Now I can end this farce! **Darkness Dragon Secret Art: Sacrament of the Night!** " A blackened orb the size of a truck impacts on where Natsu was standing, the cacophony a screeching wail of torment as the viewers clutch their ears, the sounds of nails on chalkboard and breaking bones amongst those heard in the vibrations. "Heh, and that's that." Clapping hands as if two dust them off, he turns to walk away before once again being stunned into silence. This time by a lone figure standing a few meters from him, arms crossed, eyes focused on the seeming victor of the fight, a pulsing yellow light flickering around him.

"Y'know, your arrogance is going to get you killed one day" the man states calmly, eyes analyzing the gaping man. "I just hope I'm there to see it."

Finding his voice, Serena screams at the man "HOW THE FUCK DID YOU SURVIVE!? I SEALED AWAY YOUR MAGIC!"

"Correction. You sealed away my Fire Magic. You didn't really think you were the only one here with multiple magics did you?" the snickering man asks, barely concealing a smirk from his face before uncrossing his arm. "There are only two things you should ever turn your back to in a fight: a wall, or a corpse." Outstretching one hand towards the enraged man, he asks, "Shall we continue?" beckoning the man towards him.

"FINE! NO MORE HOLDING BACK! I'M GOING TO BURY YOU AND DANCE ON YOUR GRAVE!" The area around Serena seems to explode in a wave of color as he releases his power. "NOW YOU'VE PISSED ME OFF! I'LL PUT YOU BACK IN YOUR PLACE! I'VE WORKED TOO DAMN HARD TO GET HERE, AND I'LL NOT BE INSULTED BY A PATHETIC LITTLE BRAT LIKE YOU! **DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ART: TRUTH OF THE NOBLE FOUR!** "

Four massive dragons suddenly appeared behind him to the surprise of all, not the least of which Natsu, nearly gawking mouth slightly agape at the very realistic visages. He's brought out of his astonishment by pure instinct, leaning backwards as a blue-aura fist misses his face by a hair's breadth, before dancing backwards again to avoid the brown-aura leg's swipe at him, then again as another, lighter blue fist swings at him before a red-colored leg connects in his gut, nearly knocking the wind out before more fists and legs connect. ' _Fucking hell he's gotten even faster._ '

Drawing on his magic, he coats his hands in light yellow, blocking as many of the attacks as he can.

"What's happening, Erza? I can't tell anymore" Gray asks, trying to understand why the two men seem to be just standing there with the four dragons looming over them.

"He's increased his speed even more. I'm even having difficulty following it. I don't think Natsu is even consciously fighting anymore, just reacting" she replies, astonishment written on her face.

' _I need an opening, just anything would do_ ' the man plans, the rest of his concentration on avoiding the barrage of attacks coming from the enraged dragon slayer. ' _THERE!_ ' he cries silently, seeing a lull in the wave of hits. " **Lightning Dragon: Roaring Thunder!** " The hit collides with Serena's right shoulder, spinning him around before a retaliating " **Cavern Dragon: Crushing Fist!** " launches him skyward, the actual fist of stone coming from his feet. Serena jumps up after his flying opponent, using his air magic to climb to the skies. As he nears the seemingly disabled man, he begins another attack. " **Sea King Dragon: Sky…** " Before he can finish, he's met with " **Photon Dragon: Jawbreaker!** " A two handed fist catches him in the chest as he plummets downward before colliding violently with the ground.

"Photon Dragon?" Laxus asks, his normally stoic face now covered in curiosity as he questions the other two slayers.

"Yep, second evolution of your Lightning Dragon. If we're lucky we might get to see the third evolution of it" Wendy answers with a slightly maniacal laugh, causing Mira to giggle lightly at the young girl. ' _It's so strange seeing how much Wendy has grown up and changed in such a short time. Well, I suppose she's had seven years to grow up while we were in stasis. Still, it's very strange and amusing the way she's changed._ '

" **Gale Sea King Dragon: Storm of the Century!** " A massive tornado pitches out from his outstretched hands, catching Natsu with it's violent winds before flashes down in front of the wind user. " **Gale Dragon: Eye of the Storm!** " A secondary twister forms inside the first, creating a wall of wind surrounding the two fighters. "Now, there is no escape for you. There's no getting away from me this time" the orange haired man snarls, hate dancing through his eyes.

"Wasn't planning on it" came the equally snarling response, before another explosion of yellow, static light. A torrent of bolts crawling through the air and ground around him. " **ION REACTOR!** "

"Let me guess…" Laxus begins, watching in awe of the potential power he could reach, and in envy as the yellow dragon forms above.

"Yep, Lightning Dragon Force. Looks like we'll see third level after all, hehehe" Wendy answers giddily, her chin in her hands as her feet wave in the air behind her, watching the fight wide-eyed.

"Another Dragon Force? How quaint. That won't help you here! **Mirage Dragon: Clone!** " Once again, a half dozen Serenas surround the pinkette, who looks at each of them, noting their positions. He makes a motion remarkably like Jellal's " **Sema** ", before responding. " **Plasma Dragon: Static Discharge!** " A half dozen lightning bolts seem to attack each of the clones, before one solidifies and explodes on contact.

"ARRRGGHHH! HOW DID YOU KNOW WHICH WAS THE REAL ME!?" came from behind and to the right of him.

Turning to the now exposed man, he explains, "You can thank Rufus from Sabertooth for that one. On the first day's event he hit all seven of his opponents with one attack. I spent all day yesterday trying to figure out how he knew where each of them were, and how to aim all seven accurately. After getting shocked by my doorknob last night, I realized only the real people would've attracted the lightning. Your clones may do damage to me, but only the real you could've been hit by it."

"So that's how he did it" Gray vocalizes, following the conversation.

"That's very clever" Mira agrees, nodding her head.

' _Natsu really has grown up, hasn't he_ ' Erza thinks to herself with a small smile. ' _He's using his head more and more._ '

"Looks like he figured you out, Rufus" Sting teases his red-capped friend.

"Merely one attack. I have many more in my repertoire. Including several from this bout I am committing to memory. I look forward to employing them in the future."

"GAHHHH!" came the cry before a hailstorm of punches, every other one landing on the pinkette, but not without receiving an equal number in kind as the dragon fight turns in a slugfest.

"Holy shit they're just duking it out now" Gajeel remarks, eyes trying to keep tabs with the ricocheting attacks.

"Damn, I was hoping to see more of Natsu's tricks" Wendy answers, slightly disappointed it's coming down to this.

The brawl continues on for another ten minutes before two fists collide midair, the resulting explosion disipating the wind barriers, the two fighters catapulted backwards, before hurling back at each other in another flurry of punches. Another collision of element-covered fists once again ricocheting the two apart.

"THIS ENDS NOW! **DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ARTS: PATH OF THE EIGHTFOLD!** " Four more dragons appear next to the existing four, a massive hydra on display. " **PURGATORY DRAGON'S ROAR!** " Natsu just smirks as the funnel charges him, not bothering to move as it collides, eating up as much as he. "Ahhhh, good java. Thanks buddy! I needed that recharge" he calls out, thumbs up to his opponent, watching as he bangs his head on the ground.

"Stupid, stupid, using fire magic against a fire dragon slayer. GAH!" he cries, before standing back up. "Damn it!"

"I was wondering what the eighth element was" Erza muses aloud. "It only makes sense though, considering he'd already used Earth, Air and Water magics."

 **"LIGHTRAY DRAGON: SEALING WALL!** " A bright, coalescent wall forms a large circle around Natsu, who takes his stance, awaiting what follows. " **PURGATORY CAVERN DARKNESS DRAGON: RAGING CHASM!** " Three of the dragons' maws open wide as bolts of their elements impact in a circle around Natsu near the walls, who watches in confusion as the circle completes around him, then flashing away as the enclosed area explodes. ' _Holy fuck that was close_ ' he thinks as he lands safely outside the lighted wall.

"HOW DID YOU AVOID THAT!? YOU SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH MY WALL DAMNIT!"

"Hehehe, my little secret" he giggles at the red faced man, tapping his nose tauntingly.

"DAMN YOU!" His hands perform an intricate dance before coming together, palms side by side towards Natsu. " **EIGHTFOLD DRAGON FORBIDDEN ART: ABYSS BREAK: CHAOTIC STREAM!** " A large magical seal forms in front of each of each dragon, before each fires a beam of light to a central seal forming in front of Serena. Natsu flashes a distance away and begins expelling as much magic as he can, releasing each of his elements simultaneously. ' _Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…_ '

"HE'S CASTING AN ABYSS BREAK!?" Makarov all but screeches, fingers losing blood as he grips the edge of the balcony.

"SHIT! THAT COULD ACTUALLY KILL NATSU!" Erza cries, her terror being matched by everyone.

"GO TO HELL YOU FUCKING ASSWIPE!" Serena cries, the seal completing as eight elemental ropes of power charge at the opposing slayer, weaving amongst each other before coming together as one beam.

"OPEN **GATE OF** **ASCENSION!** " A massive swath of power bursts forth, enveloping the area meters around him in the golden glow, the earth cascading away in tumbles as the earth seems to melt. **"DIVINE DRAGON SECRET ARTS: GUARDIANS OF THE PEARLY GATES: FIRST KNIGHT!** "

A monstrous visage appears, bent on one knee as if landing from the heavens, it's body protected by armor that seemed to radiate power. The helm, a dark ebony-like hue, horns bent from each ear. Along the center line, a spartan-esque bone running from nose to base of skull. Bleached white bones hanging from the base of the helm, protecting the neckline. Eye slits displaying golden eyes glowing with power. The mouth piece bent outwards, as if extra fangs to give fear.

The chest piece and shoulders with equally bleached white bones interweaved together. The shoulders adorned by protruding claws extending down to the elbows, bent outwards. The boots, matching the helm in color, bones very much evident in their protection, the top of each boot with additional claws hanging towards the ground, giving the impression of a dragon's foot instead of a man's.

The gauntlets, matching the boots and helm in their opaque color, had several bones overlaying each other up under the shoulder pieces. In the left hand a massive shield, bleach white and adorned with a symbol on the front of three different colored dragons, their bodies all intertwined as their heads face outwards, jaws slightly open displaying their teeth. In the right hand a massive broadsword that seemed to be pure energy, swirling in red and gold color with the blade resting on the ground.

As the Abyss Break spell spirals towards them, the massive knight takes a step forward, raising his shield in front of him, crouching down and bracing himself against the ground as the spell crashes against the monstrous shield, an otherwise impressive aura surrounding him as the spell continues pouring into it, magical energy cascading all around the defending duo.

The crowd watches in awe and fear as the collision of two titanic attacks slowly dissipates. First the attacking beams losing their power before subsiding altogether. Then the defending visage begins losing his solidity as the summoner goes to one knee, panting heavily at the amount of power just used. His opponent, looking victorious before also going to one knee, his eight dragons losing form before joining the knight in the ether. "Damn you… Serena…" can be heard before the speaker collapses in exhaustion. "Fuck you… Natsu …" came the response before also landing on the ground, remaining conscious.

The crowd is in pure silence before a final sentence is heard by the still conscious man, who has managed to roll onto his back. "That was awesome…" At that the crowd explodes in cheers at the amazing display of power they were just witness to. The princess had abandoned all impropriety long ago, at the booth's edge, leaning over in amazement, now clapping wildly and cheering the fight. "Magnificent! Most magnificent!" she cries out, cheering very much like the star struck young woman she was.

"Well done" came a deep voice over the sound system, quieting the crowd somewhat, the Council member clapping along with the crowd. "Well done indeed. I daresay, awarding Natsu Dragneel the title of 5th Wizard Saint would not be a stretch. Wizard Saints Jura and Makarov, would you agree?" Both wizards voiced their unheard agreements, their nodding heads and impressed faces visible on the lacrima screens around the arena. "It is decided! Wizard Saint Natsu is granted rank of 5th henceforth! I will be discussing the fight with the Four Gods of Ishgar to deliberate if a higher rank is necessary.

"Thank you all for coming today! I wish you all a great evening, and look forward to tomorrow's events!" With that he turned and left the booth, the crowd erupting in cheers once again, the princess along with them before following suit.

As Natsu hits the ground, both Laxus and Wendy disappear from their booths, and appearing next to the fallen man. Wendy's hands immediately checking for injuries, her magic covering his entire body. "He'll be fine, he'll be sore for some time but the bruises I can heal. Mostly just suffering from magical exhaustion. He does have a few broken rib bones, and maybe a concussion. But nothing too serious despite the beat down he took."

"Alright, let's get him back to the infirmary. We'll get the old lady to help you as well." At hearing the other man's final words, the blonde turns and walks over the the still downed man. "Might as well bring you too" he says, bending down and throwing the other man over his shoulder despite the objections, before flashing away, followed by a bluenette carrying her fellow slayer.

* * *

Hours later, darkness cloaking the city, a lone figure is seen walking towards the Fairy Tail infirmary. Their very womanly hips swaying, her cloak doing little to hide what's beneath it as her heeled boots clap lightly against the stone walk. Casting enchantments to prevent any interference, the woman enters the building, soft footsteps heard by few. One of those few being inside the room she is looking for, stopping only the briefest of moments as she looks inside, before opening the door.

"Well, well, well. You certainly know how to put on a show, don't you?"

The bedded figure only smiles, not at all surprised by the woman's visit, evident by the fact they were sitting upright in bed, gazing out the window. "I didn't want to disappoint you. After all, it's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Indeed it has, Natsu. And I'm most glad to see you've not wasted any of it."

Laughing lightly, the man answers, "I did at first, I'm ashamed to say. At the time I believed too much in my own strength to really believe I needed to get much stronger, regardless of how much I wanted to."

Chuckling lightly, the woman asks, "What changed?"

"The Tower of Heaven" he answers frankly, the woman nodding in understanding. "Getting my ass handed to me by Jellal was a wakeup call to how outclassed I was. My saving graces that fight were him not wanting to destroy the tower, and my eating the Etherion." The woman outright laughs at that, the sound of such wholehearted amusement bringing a smile to the bedded pinkette. "Yeah… not one of my brightest ideas, but it was the first time I entered Dragon Force, so I'm not really complaining all that much."

"Ha ha true enough" she titters, slowly moving towards the man, her hips swaying as she does. "And here we are, years later, and you've now accomplished the feat without outside stimulants. Quite impressive, if I might say so myself" she adds, sitting next to the man, her hand carressing the man's brow, before leaning in and kissing him lightly.

"Quite the compliment, coming from you" he remarks, before returning the kiss as lightly. "Mmm, there's a proper greeting.

"Hello Irene, I've missed you too."


	3. Before the Beginning

**A/N: I admit, I have about 15 different explanations for how Natsu and Irene knew each other. Most of them are pretty good, but I had trouble deciding. So… after consulting my beta... who still prefers to remain nameless, I don't know why... I went with the one that drops a second bomb on everyone. I don't read as much FT FanFic as I do others, but I haven't came across this particular idea yet. So I'm running with it.**

 **Anyhow, after the bomb drops this chapter will follow the first half of Day 4 of the GMG. It won't be terribly exciting, I'm afraid, as the exciting part of Day 4 happens in the next 2 chapters. I won't lie, I wrote the second half of Day 4 before this. It's part of why it has taken me this long to get this up. Not to mention I'm really making a lot of it up as I go, despite the dozens of ideas floating in my head.**

 **I realized after hitting towards the end of the chapter I should clarify not only the two teams, but how that changed previous days' totals.**

 **FT A: Erza, Gray, Juvia, Lucy, Wendy, Elfman(alt).**

 **FT B: Natsu, Laxus, Gajeel, Mira, Jellal (as Mystogan), Cana (alt)**

 **Day 1: Hidden Event**

 **Wendy was out late on opening night past curfew after the failed attack by Raven Tail's Obra, Elfman followed canon first day.**

 **First event was Gray for FT A and Gajeel for FT B, same results**

 **The fights happened as canon, except Jura tied Jellal. See my GMG Jura v Jellal for that fight.**

 **Pts change: Lamia Scale has 11 instead of 16, drops to 4th. FT B has 6 instead of 1, jumps to 6th.**

 **Day 2: Chariot**

 **Lucy runs for FT A, finishes 6th. Jellal runs for FT B. Using Meteor finishes 3rd after Risley trips him w/ Gravity, but takes out Kurohebi, who finishes 7th**

 **Sting still runs for Sabertooth in an attempt to show up Natsu. Fails epically as normal.**

 **Battles were canon**

 **New Points:**

 **29 Raven Tail**

 **21 Mermaid Heel**

 **21 FT B**

 **20 Sabertooth**

 **16 Blue Pegasus**

 **13 Lamia Scale**

 **12 Quatro Puppy**

 **12 FT A**

 **I'm fairly certain I've done the math correctly here in my editions. If not, oops. Not really important, but in case y'all wanna know where everyone sits going into Day 4. Day 3's final total will be in the chapter, I decided that was better than putting it here.**

 **I promise long A/Ns will not be a regular thing. I hate them myself. Sorry about that.**

 **Nevertheless, ONWARDS!**

 **And thusly, I still do not own FT, only my preferential interpretation and proclivity of this AU. Sad Panda?**

* * *

 _Year: X38?_

 _Date: September_

 _Location: Upper Ven of Dragnof_

 _"Luigi! Luigi wait up! Where are you?" The young man, teenager at best, tramps through the woods, calling out the name as he moves through the dense brush. "LUIGI! COME ON!"_

 _"I told you not to call me that! I hate that nickname!" came the shriek, the young man turning in the direction of the voice, increasing his pace._

 _"You never answer to anything else, Luigi. Come on, mom says Zeref is back from the Academy!"_

 _"What? He's back? Why didn't you say so? Let's go!" The young boy appears in the trees, looking down at the teenager from his perch. Said teenager merely looks up and shakes his head._

 _"What is it with you and being in the air? Seriously, it's as if you're trying to grow wings or something."_

 _"Being in the air is fun! It would be SO COOL to fly like a dragon, don't you think, Natsu?"_

 _The pinkette contemplates, thinking over the younger boy's words. "Dragons are pretty cool, I guess. At least the ones here are. I hear stories that the ones in other places eat humans, though. I don't think that's very cool…" he trails off, not noticing the saddened face on the younger boy still in the trees._

 _"Why would dragons want to eat humans? We get along pretty well, don't we? I know they're bigger, but that doesn't mean they can just eat people, right?" He asks downtrodden, not liking where the conversation has gone._

 _Looking up in realization, the pinkette fronts a large grin. "Of course you're right, buddy. Dragons ARE cool!" The last part brings the smile back to the elevated kid, who is now dancing on a limb. "And they are REALLY strong, too! I bet they could fight mountains and win!"_

 _Giggling, the younger boy begins flapping his arms, mimicking a dragon's wings beating as he jumps from branch to branch. "Careful, Luigi! I don't want you to… LUIGI" He shouts out as the boy missteps and falls out of the tree with a surprised cry, landing roughly on the trees thick roots, his moans of pain indicating he's still conscious._

 _"Damn it, Luigi, I told you to be careful!" He checks the younger man, looking for broken bones and bruises before grabbing the boy's foot, an abrupt shriek of pain all the proof he needed. "I think your ankle is broken. At least twisted. Mom's gonna kill me that you got hurt. GAH! Come on, you." He picks up the young boy, taking care to not bump his foot into anything as he turns to walk back the way he came._

 _A few minutes later, he hears footsteps through the trees. Realizing they were coming from the direction he just walked, he stops and turns around, ignoring the questioning look from the boy in his arms. "Who goes there! Show yourself!"_

 _"You know, if I was an attacker, I highly doubt I would just answer you" a sweet voice comes from the trees as a young woman with a staff walks out, gingerly stepping through the mess of leaves and branches on the ground._

 _"If you were an attacker, I highly doubt you'd be making so much noise" was the snarky response, a grin accompanying it as the girl pouts._

 _"Not my fault it's so hard to walk with all these tre...AHHH!" Said girl falls face-first into the underbrush, her bright, red hair flaring out comically as her eyes bug out in surprise. Her staff goes flying in the meantime, a slow arc that went unseen by the amused boys. That is, until it collides with the smirking teenager standing there, who stumbles backwards in shock before tripping over another root, landing on his rear with an "OOMPH" as the boy in his arms crashes into his gut._

 _The two elder teens just lay there for a few moments, the only sound permeating the silence is the giggling and laughter of the youngest boy, who is seen shaking on his carrier's stomach. "HAHAHA that was hilarious! Do that again!" the young boy squeaks out, still giggling at the elder two's plight._

 _"Let's… ow… not" the pinkette groans out, sitting upright, brushing leaves off of him._

 _"I… pbbtthh … agree" the girl adds, spitting out dirt and leaves as she cleans her face off. "Aww man, my dress is dirty. Mom's not going to be happy" she chastises herself, before muttering "not that she's gonna be happy anyways. Ugh." She stands upright, ignoring the confused looks of the two boys, brushing the rest of her clothing off as she looks around for her staff._

 _Noticing the girl looking around, the pinkette glances at his feet and sees the girl's staff. "Looking for his?" he queries, toeing the staff._

 _"There it is! Please let it still be in one piece" she whines, before a look of fear crosses her face. "BE CAREFUL WITH THAT! EEEK!" She cries out as the pink-haired teen hooks his foot under the staff and hefts it at her as she grabs it mid-air with a panicked expression._

 _"Man you scream loudly" the teenage boy complains, shaking his head quickly, the younger boy in his arms plugging his ears with eyes shut tight. "What's so special about it, anyways? It's just a walking stick, isn't it?"_

 _Her panicked face locks on his confused one with a almost vicious glare, the boy unconsciously taking a step back in fear. "IT'S NOT A WALKING STICK, IT'S MY ENCHANTRESS' STAFF! THERE'S A DIFFERENCE!" Her glare is replaced with wide-eyed concern as she covers her mouth at sight of both boys clutching their ears. Well, one clutching his ears and the other shaking his head, both with their eyes clenched shut. "Sorry" she almost whispers out, stepping towards the two slowly._

 _Still shaking his head, blinking quickly as the ringing subsides, the elder boy looks up in surprise at how close the girl was, his breath catching as he realizes just how pretty the girl is, watching as she approaches him. '_ There's a pretty girl talking to me, and standing reeeally close. Don't do anything stupid, Natsu. Not again. Falling on your ass was pretty stupid. I hope she doesn't think I'm a clutz because of it. Oh crap, she totally does. You find a pretty girl in the woods and you made yourself look like an idiot, way to go Natsu _.'_

 _Meanwhile, the girl was having the same thoughts. '_ Oh my goodness he's cute, and strong. Look at those arms! I wonder how it'd feel if he held me like… no no, bad, remember who you are. Can't think like that. But then again, a girl can fantasize can't she? Ok, don't do anything stupid. Well, more stupid than falling over on your face. Shit! He probably thinks you're a ditz! Great move for a princess, great move. Good thing he doesn't know I'm a princess or it'd be even worse. This is so embarrassing! _'_

 _Both are so caught up in their inner turmoils they failed to realize how close they were to each other. The one who didn't, however, was the youngest of them, who had gotten bored of watching the two silently stare at each other. At first he had taken to poking the elder male teenager's chest, trying to get his attention. With that failing, he turned to the girl. Realize her chest stuck out further than the boy's did, he poked it lightly. Realizing how much softer it was, and amused at how it seemed to jiggle, he poked it a few more times, giggling as he did._

 _This had the desired effect of getting the girl's attention, as her eyes bugged out in realization, slapping the younger boy's hand away as she covers her chest. "HEY! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA! YOU DON'T POKE A GIRL IN HER CHEST!"_

 _Such a proclamation snaps the other teenager out of his thoughts, his eyes locking onto the girl's chest, the size of which astounds the young man. '_ How does a girl so young have such a large chest? She can't be much older than I am! Oh crap, she saw me staring! _'_

 _*SMACK*_

 _A large handprint, perfectly formed to the slapper, and red as her hair, gives testament to how hard said hand collides with the teen's face. "NO STARING AT MY CHEST!" She turns around, her attempts at covering her chest failing miserably due to her ample bustiness. Whereas the elder boy was still staring sideways into the ether, the younger boy is now staring at the girl's backside._

 _"Can I poke them again? They were really squishy!" The boy questions innocently, giggling as he did, remembering how they bounced._

 _The elder boy, however, had chosen this moment to look at the back-turned girl. His eyebrows shot into his hairline at the boy's comment, his own face now turning red, but not nearly as red as the girl's, whose entire upper torso was now the same shade of red as her hair. The visual had a surprising effect on the embarrassed young man, as a certain body part started acting up, only furthering his own embarrassment. '_ Big boobs. Big squishy boobs. And a big butt to go with it. No, bad Natsu. Think of something else! Anything else but the very cute girl in front of you alone in the middle of the woods with big boo… NO! BAD NATSU!'

 _The now equally red-faced boy quickly turns around, hiding his embarrassment and active body part attempting to make itself known. Deciding it was best to leave before any more embarrassment, the teenager starts in the direction he was previously heading before turning slightly and calling back to the girl. "Umm… wellll… uh… we're gonna… um... go… I need to get him home…" he begins, taking deep breaths to keep his breathing as level as possible. "He needs to have his ankle looked at…" he quickly adds, hoping against hope the pretty redhead didn't think he was just leaving her._

 _"I uh…" she starts, turning slightly, not meeting the boys eyes as she stares at his feet, arms still crossed over her chest. "I can help with that…" she quietly adds, raising her head a bit, risking a glance, hoping to avoid more embarrassment._

 _To her pleasant surprise, both boys looked hopeful at this admission, as the elder turns completely and walks back to the girl. "You can? Really? How?" He excitedly asks the girl, causing her to step back a little at his eagerness._

 _"Um...well, like I said earlier, this is my Enchantress' Staff. I'm an Enchantress. I can heal him. Well, partly. Maybe mostly. I'm still learning, and it depends on how bad it is. He fell out of that tree pretty badly, and it was a long fall, so it's possible it could be broken, but if not…" she trails off at the suspicious look in the teenage boy's eyes, taking another step back. "What? What is it?" she asks worriedly._

 _"How did you know he fell? And out of a tree? How do you know how high it was?" His face turns angry, almost snarling at the girl after looking at her staff, trying to put the pieces together. "Did you make him fall? Is that it? Using your enchantments to make him slip?_ _Why would you do that? And to a little kid, MY LITTLE BROTHER!"_

 _The redhead blinks a few times in astonishment, mortified that anyone thought she'd hurt someone intentionally, all while replaying the conversation in her head. Thinking over what had been said already, she realized her error and gasped, covering her mouth in surprise before ecking out an "I'm sorry" towards the boy, which unfortunately did NOT diminish his anger, only enhancing it._

 _"You're 'sorry'?!" He roars, setting the boy down on the ground and steps towards the now cowering girl, his hands balled at his sides as she raises her staff in front of her defensively, still trying to form words. "You think apologizing after intentionally hurting my little brother is enough? I don't think so!" He jumps at the girl, his punch missing as the wide-eyed girl rolls out of the way, raising her staff in front of her again as he charges her. She side-steps him and trips him with the butt, sending him sprawling as she turns to run away._

 _Her escape is halted by a fireball impacting the tree directly in front of her. She turns around in fearful surprise at the now-standing teen with his hands alight. "You… you're a fire mage?" she squeaks out, ignoring the burning tree behind her._

 _"Yeah… and you're gonna burn for hurting my family! **Hammering Fist!** " His fists elongate in red and yellow swirls, forming two larger clenched fisrs. The girl had only a moment to be impressed by the level of control before dodging again, this time using her staff as a pole vault to jump over the swinging fist, bringing her staff around and smacking Natsu with it again, this time intentionally. _

_Said boy merely spins around and swings again, missing again as she performs another pole vault, landing behind him and poking him in the butt with her staff's butt._

 _"ARGH! OW!" He turns around, the fire fists dissipated as he holds his bum in his hands, dancing around howling pain._

 _The girl cannot hold back her giggles as she watches the antics, being sure to not step on the still-grounded boy. The princess turns towards him, but this action attracts the attention of the dancing boy._

 _" **Fire Whip!** " A rolled up rope of fire appears in his hand before he dangles the end out, unfurling it as he stretches its length out. He cracks it at the girl who ducks, but the whip catches the staff and wraps around it. Crying out in victory, the fire mage tugs on his whip, yanking the staff towards him. To his surprise, a redhead came with it, her hands holding it in a vice grip as she flies through the air._

 _Landing in a roll, staff still clutched in her hand, the princess stabs the staff into the ground. " **Deus Corona! Deus Eques!** " A green magic circle appears beneath her feet, a yellow magical seal within it as her body glows momentarily before dissipating. _

_Hesitating only momentarily at this unknown development, the fire mage cracks his whip again, catching the girl by her free wrist. Said girl only smiles at it, before grabbing the whip in the same hand and yanking on it, catching the boy off-guard as he faceplants, the fire whip disappearing as he does. Sudden movement forces the boy to roll sideways, and none too soon as the head of the staff hits the ground where he laid only momentarily. Coming back to his feet, he bends backwards to avoid another staff swing._

 _Realizing he was now on the defensive, he throws another fireball at the girl, who casually dodges it, not taking her eyes off the young man. Said man only smirks as he dodges another swing, then cocks his hand as if beckoning her. Now enraged at the cockiness, the girl launches at the boy, who only stands there smirking as the returning fireball suddenly impacts the girl's back, sending her now wildly careening into the boy's arms, who catches her around her waist and bear hugs her with her back to his chest, holding the staff against her._

 _"And now I'll show you what happens to people who mess with… ARGH!" he cries out before letting out an "OOMPH." A quick foot to the instep and an elbow to the jaw breaks the girl free of his grasp as she twists and holds her hands up towards the canopy. " **Gaia Clamore!** " _

_Thick branches bend down and grasp the mage's hands, pulling him in the air. His sudden shock of being lifted is diminished after realizing the trees were doing it, and sets his hands aflame as he burns his way out, landing in a roll. " **Herne Militum! Gaia Militum!** " Dozens of small creatures appear from the trees and earth, made of dead branches, rocks, leaves, clumps of mud, and everything in between. All of them charge at the surprised fire mage, throwing pieces of themselves and their partners at him. The pinkette retaliates by throwing fireball after fireball at each of them, unable to keep up with the sheer number of diminutive beings charging at him. _

_Giving it up for lost cause, the fire mage changes tactics and launches a particularly large fireball at the girl, who dodges it barely, surprised at the sudden change of direction. She rolls to her feet and looks at the now burning landscape, seeing several trees now on fire. She takes only a moment to look at her attacker before stepping towards them, ignoring the cries of frustration behind her as the pinkette returns to fighting off her minions, only to find herself on her face again._

 _She looks back at her legs and realizes she has tripped over the forgotten boy still laying there. Tripped being probably the wrong word, she realizes, as he has ahold of one of her ankles, a mischievous smile on his face. Grinning back at him and shaking her head, she turns and mutters something under her breath, tapping the ground around him with her staff before placing her hand gingerly on his sore ankle._

 _The boy grimaces slightly, but otherwise remains quiet as several magical seals appear on his ankle. His breathing slows down as he looks at the girl and returns the smile facing him. He sits up and caresses his ankle as she stands turns towards his older brother, who has managed to finish off the last of her small fighters. Seeing his target, the teenager enrages again as fire streams out of his hands._

 _Surprised at yet another ability, the girl begins spinning her staff in front of her, preparing to deflect his next attack. "You think you can hurt my little brother and not pay for it!? I DON'T THINK SO! **Missile Launcher!** " Two rolling spheres of fire rocket out of his hands. The girl turns slightly and dodges them, following their trajectory, before letting out a very girlish shriek as they circle back and head towards her again. _

_She runs away, not paying any attention to where she's going until she once again trips. The trip ended up being her saviour, as the two chasing fireballs miss her by inches, and careen into the laughing fire user, launching him into a nearby tree. Said fire mage, groaning and cursing loudly, gets back up and stumbles towards the still rising redhead. Seeing his opportunity, he puts his hands together in a triangle in front of him, unintelligible chanting leaving his lips._

 _The once-again forgotten youngest child sees this hand motion and, looking at the ignorant girl still getting up, hobbles over to his elder brother._

 _'Damn it, what is it with me and falling today' the girl thinks to herself, dusting herself off as she stands. She's brought out of her musings by a sudden "NATSU!" as her head snaps up, watching the young boy waddle towards his elder brother as fast as he can. She sees the boy chanting, ignorant of his approaching brother and brings her staff to bear, chanting herself as the ground at her feet begins to tremble._

 _"...and by the grace of the purist fire, shall I avenge my family's plight. To protect my allies, to avenge my friends, I call upon you now, **Phoenix LIght!** " Bright yellow and red flame encases the boy, golden light shining out of pitch black eyes, the conflicting effect disorienting to all who see. He brings his hands up to his side, spread out, palms facing the enemy redhead as he crouches down, preparing to strike. _

_A sudden call of his name stokes his ire, as he dismisses it before another follows it, more intently. He vaguely recognizes the voice as his brother, not realizing the sound was closer than the first. He smirks, the teenage girl is not looking at him, and he sees the perfect chance to attack while she's still looking at the ground._

 _He takes a step forward, only to be tackled by a small figure colliding into him from the side. Anger is taken over by surprise as the messy, dark blue hair of his younger brother is seen on his chest, eyes closed as they lay there on the ground. He blinks a few times, the flames and eyes slowly ebbing away as he holds his brother, confusion written on his face before eyes widening in shock. "How did you get over here? You can't run on your ankle!"_

 _This last is heard by the princess, who once again snaps up and sees her opponent on the ground with a young boy in his arms, laying on his chest. Also seeing the magic ebbing away, she dispels her own and haltingly steps forward towards the duo, not wanting to appear threatening, but wanting to hear their conversation._

 _"My ankle is fine, Natsu! She healed me" the little boy answers, the elder blinking in confusion and looking around before addressing the younger boy. "Who healed you?"_

 _Pointing in the direction of the now-stopped girl, the dark bluenette replies, "she did. While you were fighting off those little creatures, she healed me after I tripped her. It hurt a little bit, but now my ankle feels much better."_

 _Now thoroughly confused, the pinkette slowly matches eyes with the approaching redhead, who replies with a small smile before stopping a short ways away, her staff hanging casually at her side._

 _His mouth opens and closes a few times, words escaping him as he is only able to utter out a mixture of words that vaguely resembles "Hayawy."_

 _This effortlessly confuses the princess, who gapes at the man before uttering out a "What?"_

 _Realizing his failed attempt at communication, the laying boy sits up, gently pushing his brother off of him as he gets to his feet, his eyes not leaving the girl's face. "How? Why? Thanks?" All this spills out before his face darkens again, remembering why it was all necessary to begin with. "You still haven't told me why you hurt him in the first place."_

 _This gets the attention of both the other two, the younger boy staring wide-eyed at the girl, wondering if it was true. The girl, however, is gawking like a fish at the elder boy, her surprise evident before a dam seemed to break within her. "WHY WOULD YOU THINK I HURT HIM? I DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM! EITHER OF YOU, FOR THAT MATTER! FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I WAS ALREADY THERE WHEN IT HAPPENED! I WAS UP IN A TREE, ENJOYING MY PEACE AND QUIET WHEN YOU TWO BIG MOUTHS CAME RUNNING INTO MY SOLITUDE! I WATCHED THIS KID PICK ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONES IN THE WHOLE DAMN FOREST AND CLIMB AS HIGH AS HE COULD! AND FOLLOWING HIM WAS YOUR BIG MOUTH, CALLING OUT FOR HIM, NOT EVEN TRYING TO CLIMB UP TO HIM! NO! YOU STAYED SAFELY ON THE GROUND AND WATCHED YOUR KID BROTHER JUMP FROM LIMB TO LIMB, PRETENDING TO BE ONE OF THE DRAGONS YOU TALKED ABOUT, AND THEN TO MY SURPRISE HE MISSED HIS LANDING AND FELL TO THE GROUND!"_

 _The two boys didn't move an inch during this tirade, a new shade of purplish red dominating her face, looking like a ripe plum and tomato fused into one and about to explode. Which, essentially, is what she was currently doing. "AS FOR HOW, I TOLD YOU SEVERAL TIMES I AM AN ENCHANTRESS! I CAN USE BASIC HEALING SPELLS AND ENCHANTMENTS! THAT'S HOW I HEALED HIM! WHILE HE WAS ON THE GROUND I USED SOME OF THE EARTH'S ENERGY TO HELP HIS BODY FIX HIS ANKLE FASTER! AS FOR WHY, I ALREADY ANSWERED THAT! BECAUSE I SAW IT HAPPEN AND WANTED TO HELP! IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO GET OUT OF THE TREE WITHOUT HURTING MYSELF, THAT'S WHY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO CATCH UP TO YOU!_

 _She finishes with deep breaths, her chest heaving as the two boys stare at her like deer in the headlights, not even bothering to cover their ears at the surprise of the phenomenal outburst they were just witness to. Or, in the case of Natsu, the amazement that someone has managed to outshine their mother in yelling at him._

 _A sudden crashing sound snaps all three heads around at the source, then watch in awe as a large tree crashes down into the clearing. They each gawk around at the other burning trees, the gravity of their fight settling on the duo as they see a half dozen other trees also on fire, threatening to spread to others._

 _"You were too reckless again, Natsu" the youngest boy admonishes, trying not to giggle as his elder brother races over to the nearest tree, using his control of the flames to reduces them to the point he can put them out. The girl doing the same, water coming out of her staff in a gentle arc as she focuses it on the base of the flames, watching as they sputter before diminishing altogether._

 _Between the two of them the fires are put out completely in minutes, only the downed tree and charred bark the proof anything happened there. The two smile at each other, before the boy goes wide-eyed and apologizes to the girl. "Thanks for helping. Y'know, with my brother. And the trees. Yeah… fire and trees don't really go together…" he trails off, scratching the back of his head as he looks around, before turning back to the girl. "And yeah… sorry about accusing you of hurting him. I probably shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Sorry."_

 _"I forgive you" came the small reply, her voice soft as she holds her right arm, not looking at the boy anymore. "I probably should have said something from the beginning. Maybe when I saw him fall. I was just so worried about catching up to you I didn't think about it…" she dallied, drawing circles in the dirt with her toe._

 _"No, I shouldn't have attacked you right off. I didn't even let you answer. Sorry about that miss…" he stuttered to a stop, blinking a few times. "I just realized I don't even know your name! Hah hah, what kind of jerk let's someone else help their brother without even asking their name, hah hah. I'm sorry. Let's try this again._ _Hi, I'm Natsu Dragneel, fire mage and resident master of destruction." He laughs out as he steps forward to the girl and holds out his hand._

 _"Hi, I'm Irene. Enchantress extraordinaire, resident tree climber and mistress of fixing mistakes" she teases, shaking his hand in return. '_ His hand is so warm _'_ _she thinks, as the two turn and walk towards the youngest of the group._

 _"And this little turd is Luigi" the pinkette offers, receiving a glare in return._

 _"DON'T CALL ME LUIGI! ARGH!" He pulls on his hair as he screams out, his frustration increasing as the elder two only laugh at his plight._

 _"Why doesn't he like being called Luigi?"_

 _"It's his nickname" the pinkette answers, a sly smirk on his face. "It's the only thing he ever answers to. He never responds to his real name, so we call him Luigi."_

 _"No, YOU call me Luigi! Mom, dad and Zeref don't!"_

 _"Yeah, okay, 'Ender'. At least Luigi sounds like your name, and not just a definition of your name."_

 _"'Definition of your name'?" the redhead queries, a confused look between the two._

 _"Yeah, his full name is a bit morbid, but it roughly translates to 'the end'."_

 _"How do you mean?"_

 _"Our parents were a bit… scattered… in their naming of us" he chuckles, sitting down a rock, leaning back on his left arm with his legs outstretched. "Our older brother, Zeref, roughly means 'Independent.' As he's the oldest, it made sense. Sorta. My name, Natsu, means 'Summer.' A bit menial and unoriginal, as I was born in the summertime. Almost cliche that I also use fire magic" he adds with chuckle, the girl now sitting next to him joining in._

 _"As for this little hellion" he waves his hand at his little brother building… something… with the remnants of the girl's small army, "his name means 'the end'. As in, the last child my parents want to have. They figure three of us are enough."_

 _"Zeref… I feel as if I've heard a name like that before" she ponders aloud, tapping her finger to her lip, eyes searching the sky before looking at her companion. Eyes widening she snaps her finger. "Yes! I heard of a prodigy at the Academy! You mentioned he'd returned, right? I remember hearing about someone with that name working on True Necromancy, bringing back the dead with their original selves intact: body, mind, soul, everything. He was the youngest person to ever receive the King's Honor for his work on how various Black Magic can be used in healing. Most of which involving the manipulation of time, if I remember right. Was supposed to be very dangerous, but extremely effective when done correctly, going so far as healing entire limbs."_

 _"That's the one. My brother the prodigal genius" he remarks, pride laced in his voice as he gazes off in the distance, likely in the direction of their home. They sat there for a while, just enjoying the company before a shadow crosses his face. He looks up and, realizing what time it was, gets to his feet and hurries to his brother._

 _"Oh crap, we've gotta go. We were supposed to be back hours ago. Mom's gonna kill me" he freaks out, picking up his brother and throwing him on his shoulders with a squealing surprise._

 _"I gotta go, too! I didn't realize how late it was! It was a pleasure meeting you, Natsu! And you, too, Luigi" she adds the last with a teasing voice, getting a pouting face and crossed arms in return._

 _"My name is Acnologia! But I prefer Ender!" the bluenette admonishes, twisting his face up in an attempt to be scary._

 _Giggling, the girl lightly grabs the non-injured ankle and tickles him playfully. "Acnologia…" she repeats, an eyebrow raised at the pinkette, who slowly nods his head. The girl responds in kind, understanding of both nicknames coming to her. "Ender is nice… but I prefer Luigi" she giggles, ignoring the boy's protests as she steps back out of swinging rage, a smile on her face._

 _"I hope to see you again, Luigi. And you, Natsu."_

 _"I look forward to it, Irene. Maybe you'll tell me your last name next time?"_

 _"Maybe, Natsu. If you beat me, I'll tell you."_

 _"I look forward to it" he smiles, both turning and heading their respective directions, glancing over their shoulders at each other one last time before disappearing into the woods._

* * *

Year: X791

Year: July 4th

Location: Crocus, Grand Magic Games Arena

"WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME ALL TO THE 4TH DAY OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES! YESTERDAY SHOWED TO BE AN AMAZING DAY TO BE REMEMBERED FOR YEARS TO COME! CAN TODAY MATCH UP TO THE SAME? WE SHALL FIND OUT!"

Chapati's announcement draws all the cheers out of the awaiting crowd, all hoping for another remarkable day.

"As we begin the fourth day, and due to Raven Tail being disqualified, the points are as follows:

In 7th place with 14 points: Quatro Puppy!"

"WIIILD" was the united call from their bench, a few scattered cheers in the crowd adding to them.

"In 6th place with 17 points: Blue Pegasus!"

"MEEEEEN!" Was the long call, accompanied by a strange pose that most simply gawked at.

"In 5th place with 24 points: Lamia Scale!" The cheers were louder, chants of "Jura! Jura!" are heard.

"In 4th Place with 27 points: Fairy Tail A!" Excited cries and shouts sound out, though a few "boos!" were heard as well.

"In 3rd Place, our defending champions with 34 points: SABERTOOTH!" The loudest cheer yet is heard, foot stomps and wild screams finishing it off.

"In 2nd Place, with 34 points, the Ladies of the Deep: MERMAID HEEL!" Wolf whistles and proclamations of love are the bulk of these cries, though the cheer is loud nonetheless.

"And in 1st Place, in the most exciting turn around seen at these games in its entire inception, with 39 points, I give you: FAIRY TAIL B!" As if in a coordinated and organized action, the crowd waits but a few heart beats before exploding in cheers, "Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail!" echoing off the walls as said team wave their appreciation to the crowd.

"Today's event is the competition known as Naval Battle! Every team will choose one member to compete. If you leave the sphere of water, you're out of bounds and you lose. The one left in the water at the end is the winner!"

"Oh man, this game is just rigged for Juvia to win" Gajeel remarks, already signing it off as his friend's victory.

"Definitely. So long as she doesn't try showing off for the popsicle that is" Natsu adds, knowing the strange woman's stalking tendacy.

"Hmph, in that case she's already lost" Laxus puts his two cents in to the chuckles of the other two dragon slayers as the announcer continues on unabated.

"However! There is a special rule for this competition! When there are only two left in the water sphere, a five minute timer activates. When only two contestants are remaining, for a period of five minutes, the first one that goes out of bounds becomes ranked last!"

"It's rather like underwater sumo wrestling, huh?" Yajima comments next to the excitable announcer.

"I am so looking forward to this, thank you very much" the guest announcer Scheherazade Theater manager Rabian joyfully comments.

"Damn that's a stiff rule" Gray remarks, his teammates nodding in agreement.

"Juvia will fight in this battle. Watch me Gray!" she exclaims, only to be downtrodden at his silence, as she turns and heads down to the arena.

"I think I'll do this one" Mira states, already imagining the looks she's going to get. She was so far into her head-space enjoying the imagined gawking and bloody noses she almost didn't hear Natsu calling for her.

"Mira. Hey Mira. MIRA!" The last snaps her out of her reverie as she turns to the hunky pinkette. ' _Very hunky, delicious_ ' she thinks to herself, resisting licking her lips as he steps up to her.

"Do us a favor and try to keep Juvia's head in the game" he says, confusing the blonde.

"Why would I do that? Aren't we competing against each other?"

"True, but it would look bad for Fairy Tail if she gets herself knocked out because she's trying to show off for the pencil prick."

"And how do you know he has a pencil prick, hmmm Natsu? Something you want to tell me?" she teases, cocking her head with a questioning look, her eyes dancing with laughter.

"Hardy har very funny Mira. Just tell her that will ya?"

"Hmmm. I don't know Natsu. What's in it for me?"

"The gratitude of three dragon slayers?"

"Oooh, all three of you? Hmmm, that could be kinky, hehehe."

"You are in a feisty mood today aren't you?"

"Always Natsu, you should know that by now" she answers huskily, her voice lowering as she steps closer to the pinkette, leaning into his ear. "I expect some compensation for being the messenger, you know."

Bending lightly and kissing her neck right below her ear, his hot breath trailing up and hovering his lips over hers, he leans back and smiles. "Of course. Anything for the lady."

"That was so not cool, Natsu. Damn you" she growls, before hugging him and grinding her body against him, pressing her now perky nipples against his chest, her hips rubbing a particularly sensitive spot. Before he can start to enjoy it, she steps back and walks away, not bothering to look back at the damage she's done. "And you were complaining about me" he mutters, now frustrated at the girl.

Shaking his head, he turns and heads back to the viewing area, nodding his affirmation to the two slayers, who only nod in response as they turn towards the center of the arena where the mages are gathering.

"AND NOW THE MEMBERS OF EACH TEAM ARE ENTERING THE ARENA!"

"Juvia! Hold up!"

"What does Mira want with Juvia?" the blunette asks.

"I have a message from Natsu, Laxus and Gajeel" she provides, stepping up to the water mage so no one else can hear. "They say try not to show off for Gray too much."

"But why? Gray needs to know that Juvia cares for him!"

"Gray also needs to know that you want to win for Fairy Tail" the elder woman corrects, then smiles as she sees the spark of understanding in the other woman's eyes.

"Yes! Mira is correct! Juvia must not be distracted by her love for Gray, so she can prove to him she can be victorious for her love! Mira gives wise council, Juvia thanks you!" With that proclamation, she jumps up into the sphere and begins moving around it, finding the boundaries.

"That's… not what I meant… exactly…" the standing woman utters, her hand still up in its failed attempt at stopping her. Turning and looking at her team's bench, she sees the two younger slayers just shrug their shoulders, the black-haired one relaying the conversation to the taller blonde, who also shrugs his shoulders. Returning the gesture in kind, the take-over mage jumps up into the sphere to join her competitors.

"I'm giving it everything I've got this time!" Sherria of Lamia Scale calls out to the gathered women as she swims a lap, warming herself up.

"I won't lose to you again, Mira!" Jenny adds in as she passes her rival, substituting for Eve of the triremes.

"Any water-based battle is Juvia's! She will win this for her love! Watch me Gray! I will be victorious!"

"Heh heh, I am Minerva of Sabertooth" the fourth woman proclaims, hovering upright in the center. "And I have arrived! This match is mine!"

At her announcement, the crowd noise rises again in cheers as the defending champions' strongest member makes her debut.

"Never underestimate a mermaid!" Mermaid Heel's Risley comments, not at all impressed.

"And never underestimate Fairy Tail!" Mira commands, as all eyes fall on her. " **Take Over: Water Devil: Siren!** " Instead of the normal purple light, her transformation is a bright green flash. Her legs fuse together in a tail, extending her legs another meter as the fins on the end split into three parts. Her lower body scales over up to her mid-stomach, where her luscious skin takes over, the only covering a very tight black and blue bikini, leaving nothing to the imagination as it does little more than cover her nipples. Her hair turns to ebony black, elongating to her upper buttocks, flowing freely in the water sphere, as a small choker becomes visible around her neck.

Needless to say, just about every man's attention (and many a woman's) was jaw-dropped at the buxom beauty's scanty attire, the scales not deterring any of them as she swims flawlessly around her competition. Well… competitors, not exactly competition… at least, not in the sense they're all thinking of at the moment.

"THIS MAKES SUCH A LOVELY PICTURE! WE HAVE PRETTY WOMEN FROM EVERY TEAM, ALL IN SWIM SUITS!" Chapati squeals, completely bent over the announcer's booth.

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH TIMES TEN!" Robian cries out, tears of happiness trailing down his face.

"Um, I'm here too. And wild!" Quatro Puppy's Rocker mekely protests, ignored by all, especially the 6 women all staring each other down.

"The rules are simple! Out of the water and you're out of the match! LET THE NAVAL BATTLE… BEGIN!" And with the sound of the gong, the fighters all begin their attacks.

"Sorry everyone, but Juvia must win this for Gray! **Water Cyclone!** " The attack catches most, but hits her Fairy Tail guild-mate head on. " **Siren's Call!** " The now ebony-haired woman screeches out a banshee-like sound, the effect rippling through the water and colliding with the water-mage's attack, nullifying it, sending the other competitors flailing sideways.

"Mira is even with Juvia!?" the woman screeches, receiving only a smirk in return.

Meanwhile, the other pin-up model is heel-kicking the only male out of the arena. "Now the first guy!"

"Wiiiild" was his only sad, pathetic cry as he hits the dirt, his teammates looking on shame-faced.

"QUATRO PUPPY IS THE FIRST TO BE ELIMINATED!"

"And while that's happening, you are next…" Sherria mutters, sneaking up on the largest girl.

Unfortunately for her, said girl literally shrinks in size as she twists around, dodging the sneak attack before returning said attack in kind. "Never underestimate the chubby!"

"THE WATERY BATTLE IS HEATING UP!"

"It's time to send you all out at once! Nobody within the water can beat Juvia!" The woman begins twisting herself in the water, a small but powerful typhoon forming around her. "And with Juvia's Second Origin, Juvia has a new ultimate attack to unleash now! This is for you Gray! **THE WINGS OF LOVE!** "

"Stop that!" said receptor cries out to the heavy amusement of his guild-mates.

A massive whirlpool forms in the sphere, catching most of the contestants in it as Riley, Jenny and Sherria all hit paydirt, literally, with painful landings. Mira struggles, but her powerful fins fight the current and keeps her inside the sphere, with Minerva taking the easy way out and reappearing behind the bluenette with a grin on her face, her hands rotating with her energy.

"LOOK AT WHAT JUST HAPPENED! JUVIA JUST ELIMINATED THREE OPPONENTS IN ONE SHOT! SHE MAY BE COMPLETELY UNRIVALED IN ANY WATER-BOUND BATTLEFIELD! JUVIA!"

"Are you looking at Juvia with wonder and love, Gray?" the ignorant bluenette glances at the ice mage, hearts in her eyes. The three slayers who had sent her the message just hang their heads in disbelief, frustrated but not completely surprised by the woman's antics.

The next thing anyone knows, the woman is outside the arena, floating mid-air momentarily, a startled look on her face.

"That idiot" Gajeel comments, shaking his head.

"The princess ain't nice" Sting snarks, his chin in hand as he casually watches.

"I must agree" Rufus comments, chuckling lightly.

"The princess's magic should have been able to put everyone out of the arena in an instant" Ogra provides stoically.

"Well, we've won this one" Lector declares confidently.

"Fro thinks so too!"

The startled woman falls to the ground with a splash, her guildmates either shaking their head in frustration, or still laughing at the antics. All except for a few, a certain redhead, blonde and pinkette to be specific, each staring at the puddle of water.

' _A splash? Where is Juvia? Unless…_ ' Erza's thought cuts off as she looks up at the arena again to where Minerva still sits, her hand outstretched triumphantly.

"Heh heh" she laughs humorlessly, not noticing the body forming right behind her. " **Water Spout!** " the woman pushes both hands into the back of the laughing woman, catching her off-guard as she races towards the water's edge. Her upper body leaves the sphere before disappearing into a green translucent void, appearing in the center of the sphere again.

"OH MY! WHAT A REMARKABLE ATTACK! FIRST JUVIA TRICKS MINERVA WITH A WATER CLONE, THEN NEARLY ELIMINATES HER IN AN AMAZING SURPRISE ATTACK! MINERVA WAS ONLY SAVED FROM ELIMINATION DUE TO NOT LEAVING THE ARENA ENTIRELY! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE TURN OF EVENTS!"

"My my, that was impressive. You almost had me" the Sabertooth mage discloses, mock slow clapping. "But it will not happen again! **Territory: Displacement!** " The area of water around Juvia disappears in an attempt to knock her out of the arena. Said woman, though, merges her body with the displaced water, reforming right in front of the pompous woman, a fist forming and colliding. Reeling, the woman forms her hands together again, before something thick and hard hits her in the side, careening her back into the surprised bluenette. Both push off each other before they accidently fall out together, and turn towards the attacker.

"You two didn't forget about little ol' me now, did you?" Mira asks sweetly, her tail still twisted where Minerva had been, before spiraling and charging at the two with a powerful stroke. A clawed hand (' _Where did that come from?_ ' Juvia wonders quickly) swipes at the water mage, passing harmlessly through her, before her tail swings at the territory mage, who dodges it before swinging a kick at the woman's face.

The normally blonde woman ducks under the kick, then thrusts herself towards her. With a smirk, Minerva rotates her hands again, moving her behind Juvia. Both women are surprised by this as Mira tackles her. In an impressive underwater acrobatic move, Mira rolls with Juvia in her arms, then propels the woman like a torpedo at the now surprised raven-head.

Using her territory to move out of the way, Minerva, in her haste, appears behind Mira, both in Juvia's line of fire. Seeing her opportunity, the woman outstretches her arms like a cross. " **Ocean's Current: High Tide!** " The entire mass of water begins to shake and stir, turning and weaving in every direction, much like it's namesake.

The two other women are tumbled about as the fluctuating waters discourage all attempts at navigating, with even Mira's powerful fins failing to get her any direction as the tumbling water flips her about.

Her frustration nearing its peak as a particularly violent wave nearly ejects her, Minerva manages to use her Territory and reappear behind the caster. As she moves to strike, the woman claps her hands together in a rippling cascade. " **Ocean's Current: Low Tide!** " The effect almost instantaneous, an impossibility by all logical sense, the tides reverse and Minerva, in mid-motion, is violently jerked backwards.

The unrealised side-effect was Mira, who had been caught in another powerful wave, was also jerked in the opposite direction. Said opposite direction happened to be a bullet directly at Juvia. Said woman, visibly startled and bug-eyed, cancels the spell as the woman nears. The wave Mira was riding cancels, the shock shifting her just enough to miss Juvia, and tackle into Minerva.

Both women careen into the side of the sphere, struggling against each other. Minerva manages to use her territory to save herself, smirking thinking the wanna-be mermaid flew out. A tightening of arms around her waist proves otherwise as she turns and glares at the woman. She is met by a devilish smile over her shoulder, looking, not at Minerva, but somewhere in the distance.

Following the gaze, she sees the third woman spinning her arms in opposite directions, spinning quickly, all increasing speed as she does. Realizing her position, Minerva tries to call up her magic, but struggles as Mira has trapped her arms at her side with her tail. Now panicking, the woman starts twisting and fighting for her freedom, but failing against the powerful woman's grasp. " **I call upon the queen of the seas. Lend me your power! HEART OF CALPYSO!** " Her twisting stops near instantly, another logical improbability, as all limbs seem to fold forward, throwing and kicking simultaneously for all they're worth. A powerful hurricane of water careens into the tangled women, launching them like a rocket out of the sphere, the siren landing first with a loud *THUD* and an "OOMPH" as the Sabertooth mage lands on top of her, both rolling to a wet and muddy stop.

The crowd is stunned speechless, the events that had them on the edge of their seats coming to a splashing stop as the rain woman defeats her final two competitors in a massive double elimination. No celebration is heard, even from the remaining swimmer, due to the question that is on everyone's mind: "Who was second?"

As if hearing everyone's unasked question, the massive lacrima screens show a replay of the final attack. After a few passes, it is zoomed in on the two women's legs (or fins in Mira's case) and watch as the attack hits them. In slow motion, the crowd sees the two women's upper bodies leave together, a devilish smile on one girl's face, panic on the other's. The lacrima screen follows their delectable bodies down their torsos, and those not drooling see fins wrapped entirely around smooth tanned thighs, dangling over the knees, completely out of water, as the attached ankles and feet of said thighs are still within in the sphere.

The slo-mo replayed video finishes at normal speed, once again following the resounding *THUD* and *OOMPH* by the ejected contestants. In a slow crescendo, the volume of the arena rises in a cacophony of cheers and surprise at the results.

"INCREDIBLE! IN AN ALMOST PERFECT, MOST OPPORTUNISTIC DOUBLE TEAM ATTACK, JUVIA HAS NOT ONLY ELIMINATED BOTH OF HER OPPONENTS, BUT, WITH THE CLEVER STRATEGY OF MIRAJANE, ENSURED FAIRY TAIL FINISHES BOTH FIRST AND SECOND! WHILE SABERTOOTH, DUE TO THE FIVE-MINUTE RULE ACTIVATING THE MOMENT MIRA-JANE'S ENTIRE BODY LEFT THE ARENA, HAS FINISHED IN LAST! AMAZING! FAIRY TAIL HAS TRULY PROVEN THEMSELVES NEARLY UNSTOPPABLE!"

With that finished statement, the crowd erupts in screams of support, cries and chants of "Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail!" resound throughout. The water-mage, still in the sphere, now resumes her pose she had made after her triple elimination. Arms outstretched, she smiles brightly, singing her praises and declarations of love to one, stripping ice mage.

"HOLY SHIT!" Gajeel yells out, his jaw askew.

"Well I'll be damned, the stalker did it" the lightning mage remarks, a half smirk on his face.

"Just needed the proper motivation is all" the remaining slayer provides, a large lopsided grin on his face, shaking his head slightly in amusement.

"What motivation did you give her?" Erza calls over, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"We asked Mira to convey Gray's feelings on her potential performance, of course" he responds, fighting the urge to smirk at said mage.

"And what feels would those be, might I ask?" the redhead half-demands, already having an idea of what they said.

"We merely pointed her in the proper direction to win the object of her misplaced affections' attention" he defends haughtily, turning his nose up slightly and limply holding his hand over his heart.

"You told her that Gray would love her better if she won, didn't you?" the knight guesses, hitting her mark as the two background slayers start shaking in silent laughter. Shaking her head, her approval of the cunning plan confronted by her disapproval of the deception, the woman turns away and decides on saying nothing further, ignoring the outbursts by the tool of the manipulation.

All attention is drawn to the arena, however, as a heated argument ensues between Minerva and Mira with Juvia beside her guild mate, both returned to their normal attire.

"Couldn't take me on by yourselves, so you had to team up? Yes, as we thought, Fairy Tail is nothing but a bunch of pathetic weaklings."

"Juvia was not aware that such action was against the rules" the woman calmly comments, her body turned slightly, passively prepared to defend them.

"Also, these 'weaklings' just defeated you, Minerva. Have some integrity and accept your defeat" the normally collected blonde retorts angrily.

"You may have won this battle, but you will not defeat Sabertooth!" The tall woman declares, an aura of her power surrounding her. "Especially with trash like you two" she snarls as the two women show their own auras.

Not wasting a moment, Laxus, Wendy and Natsu all flash down to the side of their guild-mates, all three with angry expressions on their faces.

With obviously the same intent, the remaining Sabertooth members join their leader, standing in front of her, all with cocky smiles.

"WHOA! BOTH TEAMS LOOK LIKE THEY'RE A HAIR'S WIDTH FROM AN ALL-OUT BATTLE!"

"You may be the so-called "strongest" or "Fiore's best" or whatever stupid titles they're giving you. I neither know nor care" Natsu growls, his face contorted in anger. "However, I will say this one thing. You have taken the one guild you shouldn't anger…" An explosion of red and yellow power surrounds him, his face crackling in yellow lighting as red flames surround him. "...AND YOU PISSED THEM OFF!"

The stare down continues for a few minutes, the crowd on edge both in anticipation and wary, wondering if and somewhat hoping a throw down between the rival teams would occur.

Unfortunately, it was not to happen as a certain pumpkin-headed man comes running down the center between them, waving them off.

With a smirk and clucking his tongue, Sting is the first to turn away, his guild mates following. With a last, apathetic glimpse, Rogue is the last, the pending battle averted momentarily as the Fairy Tail mages power down and start heading down their tunnel.

"IT LOOKS LIKE WE WON'T BE SEEING THE SHOWDOWN QUITE YET! NOT TO WORRY! THE BATTLE SEGMENT IS COMING UP NEXT AFTER A ONE HOUR BREAK! DON'T MISS IT!"

* * *

The cheers are dimly heard by the Fairy Tail mages who have, silently but unanimously, made their way to the infirmary to check on Elfman, who is still recovering from his bout with Bacchus a few days before.

"How'd we do?" Evergreen asks from the edge of Elfman's bed, startling the few who were not aware of her presence there.

"Juvia and Mira won us first and second, respectively" Erza answers proudly, the two women nodding their confirmation.

"WINNING IS MANLY!" Elfman cries out, punching the air before wincing in pain.

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT SAYING 'IT'S MANLY!' ALL THE TIME?!" Evergreen admonishes, smacking him in the chest, making him wince some more, a ripple of laughter sounding through the gathered mages.

Sitting on a bed and pulling his shirt off, Natsu adds a bit more as Wendy begins unwrapping the bandages around his ribs, checking their progress. "Yeah they did, and made sure Sabertooth finished in last place at the same time."

"Really? How did they manage that?" the greenette asks incredulously, clearly impressed.

"Juvia went ape-shit on everyone, Mira fucked shit up, they both rocked that shit" Cana slurs out, taking another long swig from a rather large barrel that appears from who-knows-where.

"Pretty accurate, actually" Wendy distractedly provides as she finishes her examination, turning to do the same to Elfman, now that Evergreen has moved down the bed.

Wrapping up the pinkette while Wendy is busy, Lucy adds her tidbit. "Juvia had some pretty incredible attacks. She eliminated five people by herself. Three of them at the same time, then Minerva and Mira at the same time."

"ELIMINATING YOUR TEAMMATE IS NOT MANLY!" This earned him another smack by the greenette, who then turned to the others with an expectant look on her face.

"They aren't teammates, you hairless ape" Carla contradicts with a haughty frown, her slayer hiding her smirking face at the rebuke.

"You'll be able to walk out of here by tomorrow" Wendy interrupts, finishing her examination. "Porlyusica will want to look over you as well to make sure your bones are properly set, but I'm pretty sure between us we've got you back in shape."

"Back to the matter that needs to be discussed" Erza interjects, drawing all attention.

"We know what you want to say" Laxus declares, his facial reaction the same on the team members of both teams.

"It's time to knock Sabertooth down a notch" Natsu adds in, pulling his shirt and cloak back on.

"They really get on my nerves. Make me want another drink." Cana pulls out another barrel, again from who-knows-where, and starts chugging, the others just rolling their eyes and ignoring her.

"I don't like 'em" Gajeel voices to no comment, all in their musings.

"Good, both Teams A and B are gathered here" a voice projects, all turning to see their impish guild master stepping through the door. "I don't know if this is good news or bad news, so I'll just say it" he continues, eyebrows and confused faces answering his delayed statement. "We have an order from the organizers of the Games to combine Teams A and B into one team."

"But why? We've done nothing wrong?" Mira queries, murmurs of agreement ripple through the other gathered mages.

"With Raven Tail disqualified, and only seven teams left, the odd number is causing problems when scheduling the battle sections" Makarov answers, receiving nods of understanding as several look around at the others. "So, they've told us to combine both teams into one five-wizard team, see? With the substitute of course."

"What happens with our points" Carla asks, the sudden realization hitting most.

"I hear they're giving the new team the lower point total. In our case, and after the events of this morning's battle, that's Team A with 37 points."

"What!? That's not fair!" Happy cries out, nods of assent following his outburst.

"No, it is not. However, if it is the organizer's decision, we can do nothing but accept it…" Erza verbalizes, her arms crossed.

"We're still ahead of Sabertooth in points, though" Lily corrects his fellow exceed.

"But now we're completely behind Mermaid Heel" Lucy counters.

"But we get to make an even stronger team now!" the lush garbles, hiccupping before taking another swig.

This enlightening comment was not missed by the members of each team, however, who perk up with renewed interest.

"But… even if we cut down to five wizards, all we have left are the tag-battles, right?" Gray voices aloud.

"No… Tomorrow may be a day off, but after that is the final day's battle, which includes all five members" an elderly gruff voice comments from the doorway, all turning to see Porlyusica stepping through and moving to Natsu's side. With a firm grip, she presses through his shirt and checks his ribs, carrying on as she does. "You should consider your members carefully" she adds, before turning to the bedded man, repeating the process a little gentler. "After all, the next day and a half will very likely determine the entire outcome."

"So now the question is, who's in?" Lucy voices, all looking around.

"You may remove me from consideration" Jellal utters from the corner, stepping forward and leaving the room after he does, most of the crowd looking on in confusion.

"I'll withdraw as well" Mira voices, surprising many.

Missed by most, the four slayers were having a silent conversation, discussing with their eyes who they think should participate.

Seeming to come to a decision, Natsu scans the room again, checking everyone over before one last glance at his fellow dragons. Receiving a nod in return from each, he voices their decision. "How about… us four dragon slayers, Erza, and Gray?"

"Interesting choices, m'boy. What made you decide that?"

"Gray has to defend his lover's honor…" he begins, ignoring the "HEY!" from the ice mage. "...Erza's Erza…" he continues, no one dismissing that claim. "...And the four of us want to teach those so-called dragon slayers a lesson" he finishes, all four grinning widely, their simultaneous full-teeth smiles a frightening vision. Especially when Laxus is not known to smile, and when he does it usually promises lots of pain.

"Plus... we REEEALLY want to kick some ass" Natsu adds, being answered with chuckles.

Looking around for objections, and seeing none, the old man nods his consent. "Very well, Fairy Tail's new team is set. I'll go let them known. The tag battles should be starting fairly soon, so make sure all of you are back at the arena by then, understood?"

Echoed "Yes, Master" and "you got it Gramps" plus various paraphrased iterations echo around the room as the old man smiles at his children before leaving, the elderly maron following him.

"We are gonna kick so much ass" Gajeel breaks the silence, a chorused "FAIRY TAIL!" answering his call.

* * *

"AND WE'RE BACK FOR THE DAY'S BATTLE PORTION! DUE TO THE ODD NUMBER OF TEAMS, THE TWO FAIRY TAIL TEAMS WERE COMBINED INTO ONE! WE CAN NOW COMMENCE THE FOURTH DAY'S BATTLES!"

"I hear today's Battles are a set of "tag" matches, is that correct?" Yajima asks of his fellow announcers, keeping the commentary alive.

"They're two-on-two matches! Should be fun! Thank you very much!" the excitable Robain provides.

"RIGHT YOU BOTH ARE! AND AS WE'VE DONE IN EVERY GAMES, THE MATCHES ARE BY POPULAR VOTE! HOWEVER, UNLIKE PRIOR MATCHES, TODAYS ARE ALREADY BEING ANNOUNCED! FIRST UP, WE HAVE BLUE PEGASUS VS QUATRO PUPPY!"

Excited cheers answer this announcement, various signs and banners along with them.

"FOLLOWING THAT, WE HAVE LAMIA SCALE VS THE LOVELY LADIES OF MERMAID HEEL!"

The crowd's cheer rise in volume, at first at the announced matchup, followed by an even louder cheer in anticipation of the only remaining matchup.

"AND TO CONCLUDE, WE HAVE THE MOST OVERWHELMINGLY REQUESTED MATCH-UP IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAMES! SABERTOOTH VS FAIRY TAIL!"

Anyone who thought the crowd couldn't get louder was proven very wrong as the stadium seemed to shake.

"Considering their run-in today, and if the crowd's cheers are any indication, the one to watch closest will be Fairy Tail vs Sabertooth!" Chapati comments towards his fellow booth-mates.

"I do wonder where this will lead" Yajima stoically agrees.

"It very much excites me, thank you very much!"

"AND NOW! THE NEWLY FORMED FAIRY TAIL TEAM SHOULD BE MAKING ITS APPEARANCE, RIGHT ABOUT… NOW!"

All eyes turn towards the tunnel entrance, the five members stepping forward in their normal clothing. Erza, leading the slow march, in her Heart Kreuz armor. Flanking her is Natsu on her right, black shirt, cargo pants and combat boots, all red-lined and covered by his blazing red cloak, black-lined with the Wizard Saint logo also in black on the back. On her left is Wendy, matching Natsu's attire but in a dark purple, baby-blue lined. Her travelling cloak baby-blue, with the Fairy Tail symbol in purple on the back. Behind them are Gajeel and Laxus respectively, both matching Wendy's set-up: Gajeel in his black and silver, Laxus with his black and yellow. The knight and her dragons stand tall and proud, determined looks on their faces, daring any and all to challenge them.

"THESE RAUCOUS CHEERS MAKE THE BOOING OF THE FIRST DAY SEEM LIKE AN OLD LIE! IN JUST FOUR DAYS, THEY'VE RECOVERED ALL OF THEIR FORMER POPULARITY!"

* * *

"The celestial wizard isn't there!" a man declares from above all, thinking only the armored man next to him can hear him.

"No, she is with the rest of her guild members. You can see her in their guild booth" the taller man points out, relieving the shorter man.

"How are you going to get her?" the shorter man asks, before eyes pop. "You bastard! Are you going to hire thugs again to get her?"

"Not at all" the man counters, closing his eyes at the bad memory. "Yes, that was a complete failure. And next time, we'll use more certain methods. But for now, let us enjoy the festival. The plan will proceed in three days" the man finishes, not noticing three persons, now in their team's bench, exchanging looks of confusion, their ears twitching.

"Eclipse…" the shorter man mutters contemplatively.

"It will change the world" the taller finishes.

"And you're saying that nothing can stop it anymore?"

"Well, Lord Zeref IS waiting" the taller answers, before both turn and walk away.

* * *

As the first tag-team battle between Blue Pegasus and Quatro Puppy begins, the newly formed Fairy Tail team stands in silence, three contemplating what they overheard. "Ok… that was a strange conversation" Wendy remarks, breaking the silence.

"What conversation?"

"Yeah it was" Natsu agrees, ignoring the question.

"What are you two talking about?" the redhead repeats, slightly impatiently.

"Wonder who they were?" Gajeel wonders aloud.

Her frustration at being ignored gracing her face, she goes to make a rather harsh demand before a raised hand by Natsu cuts her off, more out of surprise than anything.

"At least we now know who was behind it."

"Do we? I didn't recognize that voice" the youngest comments, tapping her finger to her lips.

"No, but we'll remember it" the blunt one says, crossing his arms.

"I wonder what Eclipse is?" the pinkette asks aloud, scratching his head by his ears, a pensive look on his face as the cherry's face slowly becomes a cherry.

"And what Zeref has to do with it."

Wendy's remark deflates the knight, her face changing from red to white faster than a coat of paint would. While not nearly as affected as his companion, the still silent member voices his thoughts of surprise. "Zeref? Isn't that who Mystogan was here looking for?"

Realizing the question was directed at her, the redhead snaps out of her surprise. "Him, or the source of his magic. But yes, that is what he told me. As well as his companions that travelled with him."

"Maybe Eclipse is what he's looking for?" Wendy queries of the woman, who thinks it over.

"Perhaps. I shall attempt to contact him tonight." Making her decision, the armored woman follows up with another question. "And what was 'it'? You mentioned you knew 'who was behind it.' What were you referring to?"

Sharing a look, the other two nodding at Natsu, designating him as the spokesman, said man sighs before answering. "As we were entering the arena, we heard a conversation between two men. We wouldn't have paid it any mind, except one was surprised the 'Celestial mage isn't there'. Again, not very important, except one of them pointed out said mage, and said she was with her guild members. As Yukino was kicked out of Sabertooth, the only Celestial mage here that we know of is…" He turns and looks up at the blonde girl excitedly watching Ichiya defeat both members of Quatro Puppy, and cheering on the Mermaid Heel girls who have entered the arena.

"...Lucy."

"What did they say about Lucy?"

Measuring the woman's stern, expecting look, and the tall, blonde's curious one, Natsu exchanges another glance with each of the other two before answering. "Whoever they were, one of them was responsible for the attempted kidnapping a few days ago. And the same person said they would try again."

Letting that statement filter through, he finished off the obvious train of thought. "Whoever they are, they want Lucy for this 'Eclipse' thing. And whatever that is, it has to do with Zeref. Whether they work for him or against him, we don't know, they finished before we heard anything else. But what we do know is Lucy is a target, and they'll try again in the next three days."

"Three days, huh?" the stoic blonde repeats, thinking it over. "They've got some balls to not only try kidnapping a mage in a town full of mages, but to attempt it twice in a week?"

"That, or they have become desperate. Three days is a small window" Erza provides. "What is it that Lucy has that they would try kidnapping her for?"

"Her keys" Natsu answers promptly. "She told me when we first met that there are only 12 Golden keys. That would make them pretty rare, wouldn't you say?"

"Indeed" the woman concedes, watching without seeing Kagura of Mermaid Heel take over the fight against Lyon and Yuka of Lamia Scale. "You mentioned Yukino. Has anyone seen her since that night? She used two of the golden keys against Kagura, did she not?

Thinking it over, the three shook their heads in the negative, with the tallest a simple "no."

"It may behoove us to locate her as well, to see if a similar occurrence has taken place."

"After the next match, we'll go look for her" Natsu agreed, thinking it all over.

"Correct me if I'm wrong" the gruff, black-haired man voices. "...but doesn't blondie have 10 of the Golden Keys?"

Not hiding their surprise he would even have that knowledge, Natsu and Erza exchange pensive looks, both reaching the same conclusion with shared wide-eyed looks.

Accepting the mutual looks as confirmation, Wendy voices their collective worries. "It appears so. That means all 12 Golden Keys are in this city right now. Which begs the question: Besides needing Celestial Wizards, what do the 12 Golden Keys and 'Eclipse' have to do with each other? And the follow-up, what does any of it have to do with Zeref?"

Exchanging looks yet again, the cheers of the crowd turn their attention back to the arena as the battle ends in a draw, Kagura and Lyon each moments away from ending it. "We'll worry about that later" Natsu pronounces, turning to his teammates. "It's time to end Sabertooth's facade of 'Number 1'."

Sharing feral grins, the four dragon slayers turn as one down the tunnel to the dressing room, confusing all onlookers as only the knight remains, smiling after her teammates.

"AND NOW! THE BATTLE YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!" the blonde announcer cries as the stadium vibrates from the volume of the crowd cheering. "YOUR ATTENTION TO THE CENTER OF THE ARENA! THE EMBLEMS OF BOTH GUILDS HAVE BEEN PUT ON DISPLAY! THE GUILD KNOWN AS THE STRONGEST SEVEN YEARS AGO! AGAINST THE CURRENT REIGNING CHAMPION! FAIRY TAIL VS SABERTOOTH!"

* * *

 **A/N: MUAHAHAHA! I'm really bad at the whole 'evil villain' thing, but 'petty cliffhangers' I think I'm getting down, lol. Sorry, not sorry. I will promise you, though, that the upcoming battle WILL be worth waiting for. As I stated in the first A/N, I wrote it before this chapter. The battle lasts all of the next chapter, and most of the following. I went all-out on making it as ridiculous and awesome as I could.**

 **Name definitions:**

 **Zeref: Positivity, Independence and Self-Confidence. 'Positivity' is perfectly ironic for his contradictory curse in later life, but the rest fits perfectly.**

 **Natsu: Summer. Warm, heat, fire, rage, etc... adds to his overall cliché...well... everything, tehe.**

 **Acnologia: Running it through Greek, translates to "Prophet of the End" or "Ender of Eras", hence 'Ender'. Decided on 'Luigi' instead of 'Logia'. Funnier and cornier.**

 **Also! Like my little opening bomb drop? Nice little family addition, I think. Hehehe.**

 **To go with that, it seems corny having Natsu using Fire Magic before he became a Dragon Slayer, but that just adds to his overall cliché-ness... and YES, that opening bit is BEFORE what we 'know' as canon events in the Dragneel Family history. More on that later, though.**

 **As usual, any writing tips or constructive criticism are much appreciated.**

 **Until next time, this is Mad signing off,**

 **CIAO!**


	4. Fairy Tail vs Sabertooth

**A/N: This segment is actually the biggest reason I decided to write this Fanfic. I reeeally wanted to write this fight, Fairy Tail v Sabertooth. HOWEVER! HEHEHE It won't be what you were expecting. Spoilers and all that, hehehe. I think you'll enjoy it regardless. My beta, who currently remains nameless, she certainly did.**

 **There will be a couple crossover elements in this chapter. One VERRRRY obvious, to the point I could call this chapter almost entirely a crossover, and a couple others not so obvious, all of which I'll be pointing out in the A/N at the bottom.**

 **Apparently, writing disclaimers is either required or simply a thing, so... yeah, I don't own FT. I REEEEALLY wish I did, but sadly, my wallet does not reflect such ownership. Sad panda.**

* * *

 _"AND NOW! THE BATTLE YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!" the blonde announcer cries as the stadium vibrates from the volume of the crowd cheering. "YOUR ATTENTION TO THE CENTER OF THE ARENA! THE EMBLEMS OF BOTH GUILDS HAVE BEEN PUT ON DISPLAY! THE GUILD KNOWN AS THE STRONGEST SEVEN YEARS AGO! AGAINST THE CURRENT REIGNING CHAMPION! FAIRY TAIL VS SABERTOOTH!"_

The stadium all but collapses under the rumbling of the crowd as feet stomp, hands clap and voices screaming in exuberance, the long-awaited, and much anticipated match between the two powerhouses about to begin. No one notices three figures returning to the Fairy Tail bench.

All eyes turn towards one of the tunnels, two figures are seen stepping out. "FROM SABERTOOTH, I GIVE YOU THE TWIN DRAGONS: STING AND ROGUE!" The crowd roars again for the tournament favorites, both of whom smile and wave, the dark haired one with reservation.

"IN A STUNNING TURN FOR TODAY'S 2v2 MATCHES, FAIRY TAIL HAS ELECTED TO SEND ONLY 1 FIGHTER TODAY!" The volume of the crowd drops in a heartbeat, the resulting silence a testament to how stunned they are. All eyes turn to the opposing tunnel, the silhouette of a lone figure coming into view.

"Yo matchstick, why is only one...wait, NATSU!?" Gray's question is halted by the realization of who he was speaking to, the exclamation grabbing nearly every Fairy Tail member's attention, discovering just who was missing, as the figure comes into view.

"NATSU! YOU DIDN'T!"

A bark of barely restrained laughter spurts out from the pinkette, his eyes watering as he does, turning towards the eldest take-over mage. "I sure did!"

"What did Natsu do?" the resident water mage asks from above, confusion on her face, before turning to anger at the sudden calls from the duo already on the field.

"HAHAHA ONLY ONE! I guess they're too scared of our power Rogue HAHAHA!" the white-haired mage cries out, doubled over as he stumbles walking towards the center. "To think only one is brave enough to fight us! PATHETIC! And they said Fairy Tail is supposed to be strong! HAHAHA THE COWARDS!"

His companion does not join in the insults, but his agreement evident by the smile on his face and shudders of quiet laughter seen on his shoulders.

"FROM FAIRY TAIL, I GIVE YOU… wait… is this right?" Lola leans over to his fellow announcers, both reading the listed name. Yajima can be seen grunting in the affirmative, surprise missing from his face, before saying something and nodding to the man.

Rabian also looks at the listing, his eyes practically glowing in jauntiness. "OOH! This will be very exciting, thank you very much!"

Content with the agreements, Loli returns to his seat, his cheerfulness returning full force. "FROM FAIRY TAIL, I GIVE YOU...:"

* * *

 _Earlier that day, outside the infirmary:_

 _"Hey Gramps! Did you get the match listings for today!"_

 _Turning towards the questionaire, the elder man smiles and answers, "Sure did m'boy! It appears we got the match-up you were hoping for."_

 _"Excellent. I want to make a request. A little change to the game-plan" the younger man answers with a devious smile._

 _"Oh? And what would that be, m'boy? I thought you and Gajeel would have been eager to fight them?"_

 _"Oh we are, but we have a better idea."_

 _"Oh? And what would that be?"_

 _"It's like this…" he started, explaining his idea to the older man, who listens eagerly, his grin getting wider and wider._

 _"I like it. Very well. I give you my permission, if you can get the changes made to the listing."_

 _"You got it Gramps."_

* * *

From the Fairy Tail tunnel, the lone figure enters the arena, taking the shape of a blue-haired girl skipping out, not a care in the world if her cheerful smile is anything to go by. Her feet dancing along wearing laced black boots that stop mid-calf. Said calves to hips exposed, giving testament, and displaying to all, the years of training put in, her finely and powerfully built leg muscles on show, bringing nearly every man to nosebleeds. Her body adorned by a modified black qipao dress, with slits on the legs to display her thighs, long tails on front and back dangling to her knees, a blue sash around her waist. The Fairy Tail guild symbols gracing each breast, her chest completely covered to her neck, but leaving little to the imagination with how well-groomed she is upstairs, more so with her bare arms latched together behind her, pushing her chest out furthermore. Her wrists covered by black, spiked gauntlets, bouncing off her firm buttocks with each step. Her hair pulled back in two buns by two black ribbons, the tails of each trailing behind her.

Nearly every man in the arena is openly gawking at the picture-perfect goddess coming to a stop meters away from the stunned Twin Dragons, both on the verge of drooling, their jaws agape.

"...WENDY MARVELL!"

The Fairy Tail guild is stunned to silence, the proclamation landing on deaf ears as eyes, both men and women's, bug out at the woman, no goddess, standing tall on the field, very much aware of the stares, displaying all her goods to the gaping crowd.

* * *

 _The Night Before_

 _A pink haired man enters the bar, holding a hanger over his shoulder held by a bandaged arm, his eyes scanning the room before calling out his target. "Hey Wendy, come here!"_

 _Said woman turns from the bar, annoyance on her face as she walks over. "What is it, Natsu? Can't you see I was talking to Sherria?_

 _"Yeah, I saw that. Giving away our trade secrets" he teases, receiving a half-hearted glare in return._

 _"Anyways, I've got a present for you."_

 _Her glare vanishes in glee, her eyes glowing in anticipation. "Ooh I love presents! What'd you get me! A new outfit?" she asks eagerly, nearly bouncing on her toes._

 _Chuckling the man brings out from behind his back a garment bag, handing it to the bluenette. "Not the kind of outfit you were probably hoping for" he starts, her smile faltering a bit. "It's the outfit that you asked for a few months ago." Her eyes bulge before squealing in delight and pouncing on the man, wrapping her legs around him and planting kisses all over his face._

 _"THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" she squeaks out, before grabbing the hanger and racing to her room to try on the new clothes._

 _Chuckling, the man turns towards the bar where another pinkette sits wide-eyed in confusion at the site. Her eyes bulging slightly more was all the warning the man had before a missile hits him from behind, blue hair falling over his shoulders as a luxurious chest grinds against his back. "Where do you think you're going, big boy. I need an audience if I'm going to be trying on new outfits" a husky voice whispers in his ears, the grinding continuing unabated._

 _"I thought I'd ask your friend if she wanted to join in" he answers without hesitation, turning his head slightly and smirking at the bluenette, her eyes furrowed as she considers the idea, then smiling at her decision._

 _"Well, I do think I owe her an apology for beating her so badly. I should probably make it up to her" she huskily replies, her lust-filled eyes turning towards the now red-faced girl, said girl's legs twitching slightly as she attempts to hide her excitement. "How about it, Sherria? Think a god slayer can handle two dragons?" she adds with a wink, almost seeing steam coming out of the girl's ears. A sudden jolt of bravery overcomes her and launches at the two slayers, her mouth crushing against the other girl's, the man caught in between as the two begin fondling each other around him._

 _"Let's take this upstairs ladies" he says, wrapping arms under both girl's bums, settling them on each hip. Their faces never break apart as their tongues fight for dominance, an arm wrapped around Natsu, the other groping the other's breasts as they're carried upstairs, all eyes following them before the door closes behind them._

* * *

"Oh my...She has grown up" Mira whispers into her hand covering her mouth, a feeling stirring twix her legs as she non-consciously rubs them together. Both dragon slayers' noses twitch, alerted the arousal before glancing at her, then grinning at each other in amusement before returning their eyes to the battleground.

"ISN'T SHE ADORABLE!" Chapati cries out, bent over the announcers booth. This breaks the reverie, as the crowd cheers on the gorgeous girl the middle, many proclamations of love can be heard, especially from the male crowd.

The Twin Dragons' astonished looks turn to ones of anger at first, then amusement. "HA! So this is who the great Fairy Tail sent!" the blonde slayer mocks, before looking towards the Fairy Tail bench. "Too scared to fight me yourself, eh Natsu?"

"I thought you would have been braver than that, Gajeel" his normally stoic partner adds, anger evident on his face as well. "I guess I was wrong."

Their taunts are broken by a shrill of laughter in front of them, the object of many a man's affections doubled over and holding her stomach. "What's so funny?" the white slayer growls out angrily.

Catching her breath, the girl stands up, still shaking from laughter as she regains her composure, her hand over her mouth before answering sweetly. "Why, you two of course." Their looks of anger changing to confusion, looking at each other for answers, both shaking their head to the silent discussion had between them, before the girl brings them out again with a question. "Did neither of you see the fight yesterday between Natsu and God Serena?"

Scoffing, both slayers start laughing themselves. "Yeah, we saw it. A good light show. Much like how your pal, uh, what's his name? The weird-looking blonde over there with weak lightning magic? His 'defeat'..." Sting air quotes with emphasis "...of that weak guild Raven Tail was an amusing illusion. Just like Natsu's 'fight'..." more air quotes "...yesterday. Nothing all that impressive though" the more vocal of the two answers, dismissing it entirely with a flourish of his hand, much to the surprise of the crowd and Fairy Tail. "Couldn't even beat a 2nd Generation Dragon Slayer. Pathetic."

Whispers of "Do they claim to be stronger than that?" can be heard through the crowd.

"That's right, show the fairies who the best guild is" Minerva states, her teammates nodding in agreement.

"You thought that was an illusion? 'Nothing that impressive?'" the girl asks incredulously, cocking her head at the two, before hanging her head. "You two are idiots."

The crowd silences at that statement, the two erupting in anger. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING IDIOTS?!" the black haired challenges, his fist covering in shadows.

"You two. You thought yesterday was 'nothing impressive'?" she questions whilst mimicking the air quotes, a serious look on her face as she looks between the two. She shakes her head again before turning towards her own guild and screaming at the pinkette, hands fisted at her sides and a childish stomp on the ground. "NATSU! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO GIVE ME A REAL FIGHT!? NOT TWO MORONS!"

Both of the accused coat themselves in their respective elements in anger, preparing to attack the bluenette looking away from them. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING MORONS!" they scream, springing towards the girl before sliding to a stop as a small, pumpkin-headed man jumps between them.

"Stop! The match has not begun yet!" The two slayers process his words before dropping their arms, the anger very much evident on their face as the girl slowly turns back to them, as if unaware of her near-plight.

"Fighters, listen up! There have been some minor changes! You have one hour to fight, or until the other side is unable to continue. As an added incentive, the Fairy Tail guild has made an offer in exchange for this fight." Everyone leans in in anticipation of this news. "Should Fairy Tail win, they will receive the full 10 points offered to the victor." The crowd looks at each other in confusion, wondering what makes that so important, before the small man continues. "However, should Sabertooth be the victors, they will receive not only 10 points for the win, but receive an additional 10 points that will be deducted from Fairy Tail's total!" The stunned silence is the initial reaction to this unprecedented move.

The two slayers stand in shock momentarily before breaking down in laughter, disbelieving their fortune. "You want to give us your points in exchange for losing! HAHAHA! That's got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Sting's remark causes a chain reaction of laughter from the Sabertooth sideline, as well as amongst many in the crowd.

Cocking her head to the side with a confused look on her face, the girl questions the two laughing boys. "Give you our points? Who said we're going to give you our points? You haven't earned them. Your skills just aren't good enough."

"Oh please" the raven haired man answers, wiping a tear from his eye. "We're two of Sabertooth's strongest members. What possible chance do you have against us?"

"Yeah! You may as well just surrender so you don't get hurt, little girl" the white haired man pipes in, a malicious grin gracing his face as he does.

"Oooh he shouldn't have said that" Natsu comments, his fellow slayer nodding along. He then adds, "Yeah, so much for her going easy on them" much to the consternation of those within listening distance.

"Little girl am I?" she asks sweetly, before pouting at the two boys. "Then you two should have no problem beating little ol me now, would you?"

"Your funeral" Rogue responds, shrugging his shoulders. "But don't say we didn't give you a chance to surrender."

"Then allow me to return such a tempting offer" the bluenette responds, her bright smile and sweet voice still apparent. "Both of you get on your knees and beg me to give you mercy with your surrender" she begins, her countenance suddenly darkening. "Or neither of you walk out of this arena" she threatens, her face losing all trace of the sweet smile she was gracing prior.

"Oh? What're you going to do, call your boyfriend to come do it for you? Like a wimp like you could do anything to us."

Baring her teeth at the blonde man, she smiles a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "If I did, you shouldn't be all that worried then, should you? After all," she continues, puffing her lip out, "nothing he did yesterday was bewy impwessive, wight?" she mocks, nodding her head a little, before scoffing and dismissing the man, turning towards the host. "Are we going to get started or what? I'm getting bored talking with these two numbskulls.

Shaken out of his amusement at the banter, the small man turns towards the girl and answers, "Yes! We should get this show on the road! Fighters! Take your positions" he cries out, moving to the judge's box at the side of the arena as the fighters back away from each other.

"Last chance to surrender pipsqueak" Sting calls out, smirking as he backs to his starting spot.

Wendy, who had turned her back to the two slayers, stops mid stride, her hands at her sides again, fists clenching and releasing as she looks up to her team bench, making eye contact with her pink-haired (' _no, he says it's salmon, but honestly what is the difference?_ ') mentor, who nods solemnly before smirking, making her grin practically feral. Continuing to her starting spot, she slowly turns towards her foes, the feral grin widening as she does. "Now that you have lost" she calls out, taking her fighting stance, "you will have to be punished."

"BRING IT BITCH!"

"COMBATANTS! LET THE FIGHT… BEGIN!"

The twin slayers launch themselves at the pesky bluenette, intent on finishing her off with one punch. Their fists covered in their elements as they approach the still unmoved girl, their smiles growing as their arms swing towards her pretty little… CRACK!

Two bodies suddenly, and violently, jerk sideways and collide into the far arena wall, both crashing into it head first. The crowd's eyes follow the trail back to the still outstretched leg of the female, who is now completely turned around as she lowers her leg, looking at the two bodies. She suddenly smiles and a very girly persona appears, "Oops! I'm sorry if I hit you too hard!" she cries out, bending over slightly and holding her face, fighting back a laugh as she does.

The two dragon slayers on the bench, however, were not holding back in the slightest. There deep laughs bellowing across the quiet stadium as both men are bent over gasping for air. "OH MY GOD THAT WAS FUCKING HILARIOUS!" the darker haired one manages, his fist pounding on the partition. His partner doing little else but nodding his head in agreement.

"A DEVASTATING KICK BY WENDY MARVELL! I CERTAINLY WOULDN'T MIND BEING ON THE END OF THOSE LEGS!" the announcer cries out, bent over his booth wall, awkwardly shaking his bum in the former council member's face.

The two grounded slayers get up slowly, shaking their heads a little before turning back to the object of their pain. "You'll pay for that!" Sting cries, launching himself again, Rogue right behind him. A flurry of punches and swipes are seen, with a bluenette effortlessly dodging each of them before catching Sting's wild sideswipe in her right hand. She retaliates by spinning clockwise and kicking him in the face with the heel of her boot, colliding him into his comrade, who then goes sprawling, while the blonde is held upright by his still-clutched fist. His fate is short-lived as he's met with a knee to the gut then a left kick to the face again, joining his partner on the ground.

The leggy girl just stands there, her hands linked behind her again, before strolling over the two and bends over with a sweet smile. "What's the matter? Too many kicks to the head?" she mocks the two now on their knees, her eyes closed and lips pursed before standing straight and skipping back to her previous location in the center of the arena.

"Alright. That wasn't bad. I suppose it's time to stop taking it easy on you" came from the dark haired slayer as he dusts himself off.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Always good to have a warm-up" his partner added, fluffing his hair to get any dirt out.

"Yawwwwwnn zzzz" was the only response. Both look up suddenly at their opponent, only to get angry again seeing the girl not even paying attention. "Oh man, I didn't get enough sleep" she mumbles out, her hand covering her mouth and her eyes closed as she yawns again, scanning the crowd before eyes landed on a certain pinkette on the far side, winking at her and getting a blush in return.

"Excuses won't get you anywhere!" Sting yells out, finally getting the girl to spin around in surprise, her fingers wiping her eyes.

"Excuses? What excuses? Man, I'm so bored" she responds, turning her back on the two again, enraging the two.

"THAT'S IT! ARRGGHHH! **White Dragon: Claw!** " She ducks at the last moment as a glowing white hand swipes over her head, before placing her heel in his gut again, driving him back as his partner darts forward. **"Shadow Dragon: Slash!** " Rolling to the left, she lands a punch in his gut as hell, before another meets his jaw, sending him backwards again, before both dash forward, their hands and arms cloaked in their elements. " **Shadow Dragon: Crushing Fang!** " " **White Dragon: Sideswipe!** " Both attacks miss their targets as they alternate their attacks, the bluenette merely backing from them and dodging any attacks getting close.

As she continues to dodge, Wendy seems to suddenly stumble after dodging a flurry of kicks from the blonde, a move not missed by the black haired man. " **Shadow Dragon's ROAR!** " A black funnel rockets in the direction of the Sky slayer, a small cloud of smoke rising from her previous location, blocking her from sight.

"Were you planning on hitting me at some point?"

Both slayers, jumping at the closeness of the voice from behind them, turn around and see the bluenette standing there, completely unharmed, her head cocked, observing the two obviously confused and enraged slayers. "What?" "How?" came the only coherent sounds from the stunned two, to which the only response was a shrug.

"Speed is something more important than strength" she finally answers casually, her head still cocked as if it was obvious.

"No! Power is everything!" the blonde adverses, cloaking his arms again in his element before jumping at the girl, wild punches and kicks being thrown, only meeting air. A quick kick to the gut, again, sends him careening into his still-stunned partner, both rolling in the dirt before standing upright and attacking their foe together.

"Power is useless without any speed, or skill" she admonishes, blocking or dodging everything they throw at her. "Don't think you can win with power alone. You can't show off if you don't have any skills."

"We'll show you skill you weakling! **White Dragon: Blinding Clap!** " Two hands collide together, a bright light enveloping the arena. The bluenette covering her eyes to the brightness with her arms to not be overwhelmed. The distraction enough for the second slayer to take advantage. " **Shadow Dragon's Roar!** " The black funnel connects, the blinded mage careening into the wall amid a cloud of dust.

"FINALLY!" the two hear from the wall, a figure walking back towards them amongst the dust. "It's about damn time you two idiots did something right." She makes a show of dusting herself off, even correcting her chest piece and swirling the tails of her qipao around her legs, much to the joy of the males present, and several females. As she finishes, seemingly satisfied, she looks up at the two standing there ogling her. "Don't hesitate now! You finally hit me and you're just standing there?" Looking skyward and throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation, she mutters out, "Unbelievable." She draws both hands down across her face, "gaaahhhh!" she cries, before gazing on her opponents again. "If you're going to fight, fight for real. Your pathetic attacks aren't going to cut it" she admonishes, her foes turning red again as she smirks. "I'm not just cute, I'm a serious fighter. Shall I demonstrate?"

The distance between them vanishes as she rushes up, then before either react, she knees one and punches the other, both in the gut before she roundhouses both of them. "And you two claim to have taken down dragons. PUHHHLEEAASSE! Your pitiful power levels are beyond pathetic."

"A serious fighter? Don't make us laugh" the blonde retorts scathingly, white energy now surrounding his whole body as the bluenette watches. "And we'll show you which of us is pathetic." he replies, taking a stance angled towards the bluenette, mirrored by his partner. "And we did not 'take down' our dragons. We killed our dragons. With our own hands."

The young woman's face turns to anger at that, understanding the meaning behind it as her fists clench at her sides. "YOUR dragons? Your parents? YOU KILLED YOUR OWN PARENTS?"

"That's got nothing to do with you! We'll show you the power that killed dragons right now! **White Drive.** "

" **Shadow Drive.** "

Both are now covered in their white and black elements, the bodies seemingly aflame of color, all visible proof of previous attacks removed.

In the stands, a large man can be seen with a necklace of shimmering globes grinning at the release of power. "Time to end this trash guild" he comments to no one in particular, those around him giving him distance.

"Oooh, you boys finally decided to play. Well, it's about time" the lady mocks, her hands coming up in front of her. "Shall we?"

"You asked for it! **White Dragon: Punishment!** " A lightning-quick uppercut lands on the startled girl, the distance between them having vanished in an instant as she senses another behind her. " **Shadow Dragon: Dark Elbow!** " Said elbow collides with her jaw, spinning her back towards his counterpart as they pinball her between them, not letting up for a moment. Her punches missing the white dragon, whilst passing through the black completely.

"How did they suddenly get a power-up?" Pantherlily asks aloud.

"Wendy! Be careful child!" Carla cries out beside him.

"Go Sting! Now they're in the right groove to win!" Lector calls out excitedly from his bench next to his counterpart. "Frosch think so too!"

"You know, I've always looked up to Natsu" Sting begins, while still assaulting the helpless girl. "My goal has always been to surpass him!" he continues, landed consecutive punches to her gut. "And now I'll prove that I have, by defeating you!" he finishes, a twisting punch landing on the girl's open thigh, sending her sliding backwards, her body rigid as a board.

"What the hell is this?" she calls out, fighting against the seal.

"The **White Dragon's Talon** is a divine attack. This stigmata that appears on you now will keep you from moving" came the response, as he winds up another attack, her senses telling her another was coming from behind her. "And with that, I'll not only surpass you, but him as well!"

"The Shadow Dragon does not show his true form, but hunts with unfailing skill" can be heard from behind her, another attack being prepared.

" **White Dragon** " " **Shadow Dragon** " " **PINCER!** " Both slayers slam into the bluenette to the dismay of all.

Or, so they thought.

Both slayers violently bounce off each other, their attacks missing their intended target altogether and hitting each other, each stumbling in surprise at the change.

"Oooh, not bad, But not nearly good enough" a giggly voice admonishes, both turning towards the origin to see the bluenette standing there, multiple winds swirling snugly around her body with her hands linked behind her. "You actually made me use some of my magic that time. It took you long enough, but I'll admit your stigma caught me off guard. I wasn't prepared for that, and I'll likely be punished for it later tehehe" she giggles, squirming her legs a little. "I certainly hope so. It's been a long time since I've been properly punished hehehe."

"Oh my Natsu. What have you done to her?" Mira asks of the man, the lusty mirth in her eyes betraying the scowl she's covering with her hand.

"Wouldn't you like to know" he responds, raising his eyebrows seductively at the model, who loses composure and giggles in response.

"Mayyybe" she teases, linking her own hands behind her and pushing her chest out as she smiles sweetly.

"Maybe if you're a good girl I'll demonstrate."

"And if I'm a bad girl?"

"Then I'll definitely demonstrate."

"I BETTER BE APART OF THAT!" came a cry from the field, both flirts turning and smiling at the scowling bluenette looking at them, her back turned to her opponents.

"You know your objective. Succeed, and you'll get your treat" he answers normally, knowing her dragon enhanced ears would pick it up.

"Yes Master, as you say, sir" she mock bows to him, a devilish grin on her face as she turns back to her targets. "Ok you infected toenails, warm-up's over. Time to start acting as if you know how to fight."

"Who the hell you calling infected toenails! And how the hell did you break free of my stigmata!"

"Oh that? Easy, **Fall Winds.** These" she waves her hand over the various winds across her body, "are all the same winds you find on mountain slopes. Sometimes they're a gentle breeze, sometimes they're hurricane speeds. I used them to burn off your stigmata, and at the same time deflected your attacks at each other. For that to be the first magic attack I use means you finally did something right, you ingrown pubes." Thinking it through, she changes her comment. "Actually, that's twice now. And about time too, considering how pathetic both of you have been this entire, uhm, fight, if you want to call it that."

"That's right, she hasn't used any magic attacks up until now" Erza realizes, confirming for the others in earshot.

"Just how strong is she, Natsu?" the ice user asks in surprise at the realization.

"Remember how strong I was before the Island? She's stronger" he answers easily, shocked expressions appearing behind him.

"IF THIS ISN'T A FIGHT, WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT?" Sting suddenly shouts out, seemingly ignorant of all else.

"Warm-up, training, practice, well kinda, a boring day, lazing about, a C-Class mission" many gasps around the crowd at this, the two slayers turning red raced. "Killing time, wasting time, playing with two useless wanna-be boy toys, etcetera etcetera. Honestly, I only agreed to this fight because I thought you two would actually have something to challenge me with" she criticizes, dodging two wildly thrown punches and throwing the owners to the ground behind her.

"I mean really, you call that a punch? PUH-LEEEASSE! You haven't once taken me seriously because I'm a woman. And look at what's happened! I have used one magic attack this entire, uh, bout? Sparring match, ish? I don't have the words for how much of a waste of time this really is. I'm pretty sure I have had more difficulties fighting the walking icicle up there to keep his shirt on. I could be wrong, that actually might be a low blow to the arctic princess, thinking he's as weak as you worthless shitbags."

"Daaaaaaamn. You two really worked her over on the insults, huh?" said ice princess questions, amusement dancing across his face at the verbal barrage.

"A little bit. You can thank Gajeel for that, but to be honest, most of this is her" Natsu answers, holding back his own laugh.

"I'm pretty sure she's worse than I am, Salamander. I lost track of how many times I stuffed her face with muddy saltwater just to shut her up" Gajeel retorts, also holding back a laugh at the verbal assault.

"FINE! YOU WANT TO SEE OUR POWER! WE'LL SHOW IT TO YOU!" the white haired slayer calls out as a sudden release of power silences the crowd with its intensity. Scales begin covering their faces and exposed body parts, the elemental flames dancing higher and stronger as their bearings change, all wounds healing once again.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"DRAGON FORCE?!" the blonde former guild master suddenly cries out, surprising all who'd forgotten she was there.

"So, they know how to use it too" Erza vocalizes, studying the two.

"This must be what it means to be a Third Generation Dragon Slayer" Gajeel muses, getting questioning faces in response.

Seeing the looks around him, Natsu answers in his stead. "What he means is they, like Laxus, have lacrimas in their bodies as well. However, like Gajeel, Wendy and I, they were also trained and raised by dragons. Arguably, the best of both worlds" he explains, getting nods in return.

"How so, m'boy?"

Looking up at his guild master, Natsu explains further. "As Dragon Slayers raised by Dragons, we have a naturally higher magical affinity for our elements. Once I master my element, I will literally be the embodiment of fire. Same with the other two and their elements. Where Laxus and Serena will fall short is they cannot truly master their elements past a certain level, because of their lacrimas. The lacrimas give their hosts great power, this is true. It even unlocks certain levels faster. Cheating the system, if you will. However, the backfire of it occurs in the long-run, all lacrima users will eventually reach a power cap where they physically cannot raise their elements further without risk of destroying themselves. The lacrima doesn't allow it.

"Third Generations get both the affinity and power boost their elements and lacrimas provide, however, they too, in time, will suffer the consequences of lacrimas. But, unlike Laxus, that power cap will be higher because they are dragon-trained and dragon-raised. So, right now you're seeing them in Dragon Force, an ability that took me almost five years to unlock of pure training. I would wager they've both been able to unlock it with ease since before even then, because of their lacrimas, with only a fraction of the effort I had to put in."

"So, what are you saying? That they're stronger than you?" Cana asks, slurring her words a little.

"Oh please, not even remotely" Gajeel answers instead, scoffing with annoyance. "Like I said about Serena, they're just cheats, no offense to the flashlight here, but it's a cop-out. Sure, those two may have been raised by Dragons. But they chose to use the easy way and skip to the top instead of working at it. We spent 7 years kicking each other's asses almost daily. If they're stronger than any of us I'll eat my arm."

* * *

 _On the Field_

"Rogue, stay out of this. It's time to teach this bitch a lesson."

"Ooh teach me a lesson will you? I look forward to it hehehe. Gonna punish little ol me?" she questions innocently, putting on her sweetest face as she does, twisting her torso back and forth. "Well, if you think you can handle it, I welcome you to try."

"Handle it? Me alone is more than enough for the likes of you! HAHHH!" He dashes forward, surprising the bluenette with his speed, landing blow after blow on the previously invincible girl, punches and kicks landing in lightning fashion. " **White Dragon: Uppercut!** " A hard hit to the jaw launches the flopping girl in the air, before jumping up to her again. " **White Dragon: Jawbreaker!** " Two hands come down, mimicking Natsu's attack from the day before, slamming her into the ground before following up. " **White Dragon: Holy Breath!** " A massive funnel hits the ground where the girl lands, shaking the arena floor before it gives out entirely, rubble and body falling through the chasm in a crash.

"The stadium floor..!" Makarov cries out in shock.

"He's destroyed it!" The scarlet knight finishes, leaning over in concern for her comrade, and amazement at the power display.

"That's the power a Third Generation Dragon Slayer can generate!?" Gray cries out in shock, watching the lacrima screen as the rubble crashes into the ground.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Sting calls out, jumping down after his prey as the girl turns and faces him. " **Sky Dragon: Swordhorn!** " She headbutts the descending man mid-air, who merely retaliates with his own headbutt, crashing her into the chasm's floor.

" **The Flare of the White Dragon will purify all things! White Dragon: Holy Ray!** " He stretches his hands out, palms together as if in a sideways prayer, before forming them into a sphere and firing at the girl on her knees before him, multiple rays of light exploding on impact, before adding a knockout punch to the harried bluenette, her body rolling to a stop facedown.

"HAHAHA WHO'S THE STRONGEST NOW!?" he cries out, arms raised triumphantly for all watching the screens to see. "Look at this Lector! The age of the old generation is OVER! WE ARE THE FUTURE!"

Spectators and Fairy Tail guild members alike stand in stunned silence at the sudden turn-around of the fight. All sit in concern and surprise. All but two, just standing there with smiles on their faces.

Overlooking the chasm walls, the dark-haired man watches the completion of the short bout between the two. "Seven years of constant practice have made us into true dragon slayers…" he muses, before suddenly being lifted up from behind. "WHAT THE…"

Nothing more is heard except a long, surprised girlish scream as he suddenly crashes into the chasm floor at the foot of his partner, who just stands there looking down at him in surprise.

"What was that about being true dragon slayers?" came a familiar, sweet voice from the top of the chasm.

All eyes turn to the sound, most, for the first time, seeing the bent over figure standing at the top, looking down at the two boys in wonderment. The arena is pindrop quiet at this new development, the perfect double of the grounded girl is standing there, talking to the two slayers as if nothing had happened. "What are you two looking at, anyways?" she queries, scanning the floor before seeing her copy. "OH! You really did a number to my body over there didn't you? Hehehe!"

If they weren't confused before, their faces were absolutely comical as their eyes widen.

"What does she mean 'her body'?" "Why are there two of them?" "Where did the other one come from?" The astonished whispers crawl through the crowd and guilds, nearly everyone in utter shock and surprise that a petite bluenette is bent over the open chasm, looking down at two stunned dragon slayers, and an exact duplicate of herself.

Realizing she wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon, the girl sits down on the chasm's edge, her legs dangling freely. "Y'know, having your mouths open like that is a great way to catch bugs. Or in Happy's case, fish. That is, if we were near a river, but we're not, so that's out. It's also a great way to practice your drooling. Not exactly the most attractive feature in a man but to each their own I suppose" she finishes with a giggle, the astonished boys' mouths finally clamping shut as they overcome their shock. "That's better. I'm not a fan of looking into people's open mouths. It's very rude and disgusting."

"Who are you?" the black haired man manages to croak out, his partner looking back and forth between the downed girl and the one dozens of meters above them.

"I'm Wendy of course! I didn't think I hit y'all in the head THAT hard. But maybe I did. Or maybe you two are weaker than I thought. Either way works."

"You're not Wendy. THAT'S Wendy" he replies, pointing at the downed body with her back to them.

"Wow! You DO remember! That's a relief. I guess you still have a few brain cells left after all."

That finally gets the white-haired's attention. "HEY! We're not stupid! We KNOW we've been fighting Wendy. What we DON'T know is how the fuck you're in two places at once, IF you're even really Wendy! This was supposed to be 2v1! YOU'RE BREAKING THE RULES! HAHA WE AUTOMATICALLY WIN!"

"Ohhh so now you're so scared to fight me that you are trying to win by technicality. My my you are scaredy cats."

"HEY!"

"Oops! Sorry Happy" she calls out to the Exceed, before turning back to the boys. "He's right, Happy, Carla and Lily are better than that. Though, I don't know what's worse than scaredy cats, except maybe cowards. Are you two cowards?" she asks contemplatively, tapping her lip with her finger.

"WE ARE NOT COWARDS!" came the chorused reply, both now red faced.

"Oh? Are you sure? You were just complaining about there being two of me a moment ago, hehehe. Not that I blame you, of course. I mean, look at what one of me did to you. Imagine how much pain two of me can cause, hehehe" she giggles maniacally, bobbing her head back and forth slightly.

"ARGH! FINE! WE'LL JUST HAVE TO KICK YOUR ASS AGAIN!" Sting cries out, powering up as he does.

"HAHAHA" the girl doubles over, nearly falling into the hole before windmilling her arms backwards to get her balance. "Whoa, that was close. I almost fell." The other Wendy fans herself as if she'd just avoided catastrophe before plopping on the ground, legs dangling over the chasm. "But that was really funny, you guys! You should be comedians!"

"We'll wipe that smirk off your face" Rogue counters, powering up as well.

"Seeing as you couldn't even beat the other me, I highly doubt that" she replies casually.

"The 'other you' is knocked unconscious over there like the weakling she is" Sting berates, pointing in the direction of the body.

"Really? Over where?"

"Right the…" Rogue begins, before his eyes bulge out. Sting looks over to where he's pointing, only to be met with an astonishing sight.

The body was missing.

"Hehehe if she were really unconscious, I wouldn't be here now would I?"

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"No… is she… does she mean she's a Thought Projection?" Erza gasps out, putting the pieces together.

"Thought projection? That's really advanced magic. You have to be really powerful to be able to do that" Mira points out, trying to comprehend what she's seeing, before looking at the smirking faces of the other two slayers. "Oh Natsu" she purrs, her voice laced with poisoned sweetness. "What exactly have you been teaching Wendy?"

"I have a very good feeling, my sweet demoness" he answers, turning a sideways, cocky smirk at the blonde, "that you are about to find out."

"Oh yeah. Those two punks have noooo idea what they've gotten themselves into" Gajeel provides, his shoulders shaking at the imagined level of punishment he's about the witness.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"There's no way you're a thought projection! You're too weak for that!" Rogue calls out, putting the pieces together.

"Weak am I? Then why, you wanna-be dragon slayers, am I still standing?" she retorts, rolling backwards into a hand stand, flashing her excellent thighs to all the males in the area before landing on her feet. "You two need to learn your place" she says casually after walking back to the chasm's edge.

"Learn OUR place! OUR PLACE IS AT THE TOP! WE ARE THE STRONGEST DRAGON SLAYERS! YOU ARE BENEATH US!"

"And yet, I am here, and you two are there, beneath my feet, where you belong. Pathetic" she responds nastily, disgust on her face.

"WE'LL SHOW YOU PATHETIC! **WHITE DRAGON: WINGS!** " The black haired man follows suit, and the two sport white and black wings, and begin flying up to the waiting girl.

"Oooh you can do that too! I'm surprised."

"HA! Cause a weakling like you could never do this I imagine" the white haired slayer admonishes before landing on the ground across the chasm from the girl.

"HAHAHAHA!" came the initial response, said girl holding her stomach with both hands. "No no no, quite the opposite. I thought you two were too decrepit to be able to do that. It'd be impressive if Natsu hadn't already done it yesterday" she corrects, before thinking over her comment. "Decrepit. Is that the right context for that? It's a good word. I like that word. Decrepit. Hmm, I'll have to ask Carla later" she ponders, turning her back on the two, looking at her cream colored cat friend on the bench.

"DON'T IGNORE US!" the two cry out before launching themselves across the chasm, their elements coating their arms with each flurry of punch. The bluenette just stands there, ignoring the two as each punch seemed to miss wildly and comically, to the point where two particularly wild throws knocked themselves over as they missed, landing on the dirt with a thud.

As if caught by surprise, the girl jumps at the resounding *THUD* that was heard from the two crashing to the ground. "Oh my, why are you two down there? I mean I know you like dirt and all, considering how much time you've spent down there during this fight. But to throw yourselves down on the ground?" she rhetorics, before eyebrows rising as if figuring something out. "OOH! Is this the part where you two surrender? Very well, I am a merciful mistress after all."

"Surrender to you? HA! As if!" Sting snaps back, getting to his feet. "You will be begging us to stop by the time we're finished."

"Is that so? And how are you going to make me from the ground?" she asks, as the white-haired man suddenly lands on his butt again, a look of surprise on his face.

"What the hell!" he cries out, only getting a giggle in response.

"What is it, Sting" his partner asks, getting to his feet, only to land on his face in another *THUD* that had most turning away from the impact in sympathetic pain.

* * *

 _In the Stands_

"OOOH I know what she's doing!" Risley suddenly cries out from the Mermaid Heel bench, her eyes alight with mirth as she laughs internally.

"Indeed, quite clever of her. I wonder how and where she learned it" Kagura concurs, nodding her head slowly.

"What are you talking about? Learned what?" Millianna asks the two.

"Just watch" was the only response as she pouts and turns back to the fight.

"Aww, did you fall down? Here, let me help you up." Wendy bends over and grabs the back of each slayers' robes and throws them across the arena as if they were weightless.

"WENDY MARVELL HAS JUST THROWN THE TWIN DRAGONS ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE ARENA AS IF THEY WERE NOTHING! JUST HOW STRONG IS THIS GIRL WHO'S SOOO CUTE AND ADORABLE!"

"Okay… what just happened?" Gray asks of the two shaking slayers.

"Just… haha… just watch" was the tearful reply amidst shakes.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"Ok, what the FUCK is going on?" came the sudden cry as the two slayers stand up after being thrown.

"You two are underestimating me again. I'm going to keep throwing you around like dolls until you start taking me serious. Not that it'll help you, but it's better than looking like ragdolls, wouldn't you agree?"

"Why you little… OOMPH" the irate verbal assault was cut off again by another dirt facial, this time to the white dragon slayer.

*Sigh* "Back to this are we? Seriously, I kicked your ass for 20 minutes straight before you FINALLY decided to use your Dragon Force on me, and STILL haven't beaten me. And now you're back to using words and basic attacks. Are you TRYING to embarrass yourselves?" she questions, before covering her face with her hands and shaking her head. "No no no, I take that back. We're beyond trying. It's as if you're BEGGING to be embarrassed. DEMANDING really. UGH! You're making this wayyy too easy for me" she whines, dragging her hands across her face before glaring at the two slayers. "Fine. Since you want to lose so badly, I'll oblige you. I came here with a job to do but I'll suffer the consequences if it means you two aren't wasting my time anymore" she finishes, glaring daggers at the two before her.

"GO TO HELL!" Both boys dart at the girl, more wild punches being throw, all bouncing harmlessly off, some missing entirely as she just stands there, watching the two with disgust before stomping her foot. The crowd watches in surprise as the two suddenly face plant again.

"You'll never touch me until you start taking me seriously" she tells them, before kicking each of them across the arena, flying as they had when they were thrown, rolling into a sliding stop.

"FUCK YOU! **WHITE DRIVE!** "

" **SHADOW DRIVE!** "

Both slayers return to their initial power ups, flaming elements coating them again before attacking their shared foe. Said girl only smirks as she holds her hands out before her, then spreads them, watching comically as the two attackers fling past her, tripping over their own feet before standing back up, and dashing at her again. Simultaneously, both jump at her, as if to tackle her. Wendy jumps backwards into a backwards somersault, her feet kicking in the air as both seem to glide higher in their jump before crashing far beyond their target.

"What the fuck is going on?!"

"I told you, you won't touch me until you start taking me seriously!"

"FINE! YOU ASKED FOR IT!" The two enter Dragon Force again, scales covering their bodies once more.

"Finally! Let's boogy!" The three collide in an epic barrage of fists, the two boys slowly moving around the girl, putting her between her as she fights on two fronts. " **TWIN DRAGON: PINCER!** " Both go in for another double punch, only for a purple orb to appear between them, causing them to headbutt each other. Before either can separate, both are met by consecutive roundhouses, before the black dragon is Sparta-kicked away from his partner.

" **White Dragon: Haymaker!** " A flurry of controlled punches connect with the girl, each punch followed by a cloned punch that look like a light trail following each fist, but each obviously doing damage if the sounding grunts are anything to go by. "EAT SHIT YOU LITTLE CUNT!"

A sudden knee to the gut stops any additional comments, his fist blocked by a delicate-looking hand, his shocked face parallel to the ground before being sent spinning by a punch. As he stands up, the crowd is met by a strange sight: the bluenette is completely upside down, spinning on her hands as her feet collide into his face over and over again, sending him sprawling.

As she comes back vertical, she dodges a shadowy punch from behind her, kicking said betrayer's gut before spinning inverted again, several kicks to the face. Landing on a foot before inverting and landing several more kicks, her second landing is followed by a front flip and one, long leg crashing down into the man's chest, his head landing in a sickening *THUD*.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"What the hell was that? How was she upside down like that without touching the ground?" Gray ask bewildered, watching the girl dodge further attacks by the two, often sending them colliding into each other aided by the strange purple orb. "AND WHAT THE HELL IS THAT PURPLE BALL!?"

"The inverted kicks you saw she calls her **Spinning Bird Kick**. As for the how, it's related to the 'purple ball' as you so eloquently called it, heh heh" Natsu answers, not looking at his teammate's faces.

"Do they have anything to do with the second element Wendy mentioned having yesterday?"

"Right in one, Erza. It's the same reason the earlier punches kept missing as well. Just watch, she'll likely start showing off soon."

"Is it just me, or has her entire fighting style changed?"

"Not just you, Strauss. And yeah, it's intentional. Her second element let's her do attacks that the rest of us, even Salamander here, would have difficulties pulling off. It gives her some unique and almost ridiculous fighting abilities. Not to mention it, combined with her Sky Dragon abilities, well… let's just say, in terms of attack speed, I don't think anyone here could match her when she goes all out" Gajeel provides, shocking all within earshot. "And if you notice, she STILL hasn't used her enchantments for her arms or legs. So… yeah."

"If she's so fast, how is she taking hits?"

"Just watch, stripper. Stop questioning, just watch."

* * *

 _On the Field_

"Heh, not bad. For a Fairy" Sting comments during a lull in fighting, standing next to his partner, wiping his face off.

"Heh, I expected better of a Sabertooth. I guess you're all fluff and no gruff, huh" she retorts. "Big fwuffy kitty cats with no claws."

"We'll show you claws. **White Dragon: Talon Strike!** " Sting jumps in the air, doing a front flip and swings his leg down at the girl, who casually steps sideways. " **Shadow Dragon: Shadow Kick!** " Rogue seems to jump past her, kicking wildly, only for her to suddenly buck sideways as if an invisible force sent her sprawling, before rolling onto her feet. "What the…"

" **White Dragon: Stomping Ground!** " Another aerial attack, one that Wendy blocks, only to be jerked sideways by another wild kick by Rogue. ' _What the hell is going on…_ '

"The shadow dragon does not show his true form…"

' _Didn't he already say that?_ '

"...But he hunts his prey with unfailing skill! **Shadow Dragon: Shadow Kick!** " Another wild kick is suddenly stopped mid-air, the attacker comically stopped dead with his leg in the air.

"Y'know, if you're going to keep using the same attacks, at least be creative with them" she admonishes, seeming to be holding nothing but air. "I will say this though, using your shadow to attack me, that was creative. Until you went and gave it away. Soooo rookie mistake. Time to fly, Peter Pan. **Gravity Dragon: Fairy Flight!** " A sideways high kick sends the captured man flying, almost literally. His body seeming to float through the air in a slow arc, as the kicker blocks another kick from the floater's partner.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"GRAVITY DRAGON!?" came the expected chorused outcry.

"Yep. Gravity Dragon. Nearly made Gajeel and I shit ourselves when she pulled that out of the bag."

"Where did she get Gravity Magic from? Did you teach her that, m'boy?"

"Nope. Another Grimoire member, Bluenote." Turning and looking at the guild's resident lush. "The guy your dad had to come back and fight." Looking at the rest, seeing recognition on several faces, he continues. "He hit Wendy, Lucy and I with his Gravity Magic. Cana tried fighting back with Fairy Glitter but he deflected it. We were all mince meat until Gildarts showed up."

"Why didn't you fight back, blockhead?"

"Because, princess, his gravity magic was too strong. With all my strength at the time, I couldn't stand up. The only attack I was able to get off was a Dragon Roar to get Lucy, Wendy and the cats out of the gravity's effect. Bluenote was trying to take the Fairy Glitter from Cana, and I could barely move. It was as if I suddenly weighed 10 tons. If it wasn't for Gildarts showing up, Cana and I wouldn't be here."

"Ok… but how does that explain Wendy actually getting the magic, though?"

Turning towards the demoness, he glances out at the discussed girl before answering. "I'm not entirely sure. None of us are. It might've been because I gave her some etherion, or it might've been her just naturally acquiring it. Maybe both. We really don't know."

"What do you mean, you gave her etherion, Natsu. Where did you get any?" Following the pinkette's gaze, she looks over at the male bluenette who had appeared in the guild area. Her eyes suddenly widen and staring back at the fire user, putting the pieces together. "YOU SAVED SOME!? FROM THE TOWER! WHY!?"

"Yeah, I saved some. As to why, so I could use it myself to enter Dragon Force if I needed to. During our time on that island, when I first started pushing myself to unlocking it naturally, I gave a small bit to each Wendy and Gajeel so they'd know what Dragon Force felt like. Not a lot, a small amount the size of my pinky finger. But it was enough for them to enter it for a few minutes. It was after that that Wendy started displaying use of gravity magic." The thought it over for a moment and, after looking at 'Mystogan', added, "Y'know, that might also explain how I was able to absorb Jellal's Heavenly Body Magic too. I'm not entirely sure Dragon Slayers are supposed to be able to absorb non-slayer elements..." he trails off, looking back at the fighting trio.

"And now, she can control not only an area's gravity, but the gravity of a person's body as well" Gajeel intercedes, not looking at anyone else. "That's why Rogue is floating so gracefully, and how she's been able to throw them so easily. She all but negates gravity's influence on them. And she can affect her own gravity, too. Add that to her Sky Magic, and she's one fast kid."

* * *

 _On the Field_

"What the hell did you do to Rogue!? Why is he still floating!?"

"Oh that? Easy, I made him fly. Like I'm going to make you fly! **Gravity Dragon: Seven Star Wild Luster!** " Wendy first twists away, before spinning mid-air three times, kicking him higher with each spin, before landing lightly and jumping up again, following with another seven quick facials. After she stops spinning, the two just hanging in the air, she flips her body forward, arcing her leg over her head, and slamming it into the shocked blonde, who rockets into the ground, landing with a violent crash, the bluenette's leg pinning him down, before he seems to bounce back up a few feet. Wendy flips onto her feet, grabbing a floating arm, and pulls back her leg again.

" **Gravity Dragon: Fairy Flight!** " Another sideways kick and the man joins his partner, floating in the air. Both look at each other, then themselves, admittedly astonished that they're still in the air. " It's a hyper combo, it's a hyper combo, it's a hyper combo " can be heard in a sing-song voice from the arena floor, all eyes seeing a certain bluenette bouncing back and forth, twisting her body as she does, her arms swinging carelessly.

"What the hell is a hyper combo!?" they chorus, panicking slightly that they can't seem to move. " **SKY DRAGON SECRET ART!** " Both look around frantically, looking for the source of the voice, the girl on the floor still dancing. " **GRACE OF THE SEVEN STARS!** " The duo suddenly look up, only to see a pair of legs careening towards their faces. " **BIG DIPPER!** " Both legs meet said faces, the three bodies violently crashing into the arena floor, the dancing girl finally stopping and giggling at the building plume of dust.

"Well, now we know where the other Wendy went to" Mira giggles, her eyes enchanted by the girl's impeccable fighting skills.

"Yeah...but how did Sting bounce like that?" Gray asks, processing what just happened.

"Either she removed the gravity from that area, or she used air to create a cushion. Maybe even both" the pinkette answers.

"A REMARKABLE ATTACK! WENDY HAD BOTH BOYS STUCK MID-AIR, ONLY FOR THE FIRST WENDY TO BLIND SIDE THEM WITH AN INCREDIBLE BODY SLAM! THIS FIGHT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!"

A sudden breeze blows the dust cloud away, revealing the second (first) Wendy standing over the two boys, both on their backs wide-eyed. She joins her sister, both now standing with their hands linked behind them, watching the two slowly stand up. "Do you two give up yet?" they chorus, drawing the attention of the twin dragons, their eyes widening. "You can't beat us. You may as well admit it" they chorus again, before looking at each other and giggling.

"So, there really are two of you. Impressive… for a Thought Projection. But it still won't be enough" Rogue states, coming off his shock.

"Hehehe so you say" the two girls chorus, cocking their heads. "Yet these 'Thought Projections' just beat the Twin Dragons in their Dragon Force.

"What! You're both Thought Projections?" the black-haired man screams out.

"Maybe we are" both smile at the man. "Or maybe not. If we were, that makes it all the more embarrassing doesn't it, hehehe."

"How do you figure?"

Both look at each other incredulously, before turning towards the black haired man. "Isn't it obvious?" Sky Wendy asks.

"I guess not" Gravity Wendy answers.

"You're right, they are pretty stupid" Sky Wendy answers, nodding at her other half.

"No, YOU'RE the one that's right" Gravity Wendy corrects, nodding at HER other half. The pair then grin, and break into another fit of giggles.

"For fuck's sake will either of you start making sense."

"Like I said, it's obvious" Gravity Wendy starts, cocking her head again.

"But you did say they were pretty stupid" Sky Wendy corrects.

"True, but it doesn't stop it being obvious. Maybe we should ask the crowd?"

"Good idea, me."

"My pleasure, me."

Both pretend to scan the crowd, right hands on their forehead as if blocking out the sunlight. Starting at opposite sides, they make a show of looking everyone over before both gazes land on a certain bald-headed Wizard Saint. "Mr Jura, sir!" both cry out, waving their right hands energetically at the man. "Could you be so kind to explain to Dumb and Dumber why losing to Thought Projections would be more embarrassing?"

Chuckling, the man answers with his deep voice. "Thought Projections take away a portion of the person's power. Most often, Thought Projections have half the original person's power and strength. If both of you are Thought Projections, then each of you at most would have a third of Wendy's full power. If only one of you, then the Thought Projection has no more than half of Wendy's full power."

"Thank you Mr Jura, sir!" Both call out, waving their hands again before turning back to the two boys. "See? You get it now? Each of us are no more than half of Wendy's full power. Maybe we're only a third of Wendy's full power. Who knows?"

"Well, we know."

"Well, yeah, but we're not idiots either."

"Very true, Grav. And Natsu figuring out how to give each of us only one type of magic was really clever."

"You're so right, Sky. Remember that time when Natsu fought three of himselves? That was a really weird fight."

"Yes, it really was. But then there was that one night with two Natsus, heh heh."

Clapping a hand over her twin's face, Gravity Wendy shakes her head. "That's probably information I shouldn't be telling everybody."

Giggling, Sky Wendy nods her head as her sister pulls her hand back. "We knowww, but you couldn't resist, hehehe."

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"Y'know, a long time ago, this kind of conversation would've given me a headache" Natsu admits, shaking his head at the girl's antics.

"No kidding. If I hadn't seen you and her do this so often, I'd be going mental right now" Gajeel agrees, shaking his head as well with a smirk.

"What was that about her and two Natsu's?"

"Heh heh don't you worry about it, Mira."

"Oh no, I want to hear about this."

"We'll see how badly you misbehave, then maybe you'll get your chance" he hints with a raised eyebrow before winking at the now squirming take-over mage lost in her imaginations.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"Sooo… what's it going to be boys?" Sky asks, glancing between the two.

"Are you going to do the smart thing and surrender…" Grav adds, also glancing between the two.

"Or will you be foolish and try to fight me and lose… badly" they chorus, each glaring at a separate slayer.

"You haven't beaten us yet" Rogue confronts, crouching into his battle stance.

"At least you admit it's 'yet' hehehe" the girls reply, covering their mouths and giggling.

"To be honest, he's actually right for once" Sky concedes, tilting her head.

"True, I haven't actually defeated them. Otherwise you wouldn't have to listen to their rabbling" Grav agrees, also tilting her head.

"You suppose I should get back to it yet?"

"You know I am going to."

"Okie dokie, I'll go show off while you go play" Sky decides, forming a ball of wind between her hands.

"Bring it on!"

" **Sky Dragon: AIR SCOOTER!** " The crowd moves to the edge of their seats in anticipation, wondering what this might bring, only to sweatdrop at what happens next.

"WHEEE!" the girl, who is acting very much like a little girl, cries out as she jumps on the ball of air and starts racing circles around the arena.

Both the two dragon slayers stand there, jaws hanging open as they watch the girl roll circles around the arena. They were violently brought out of their staring by heels to the face. " **Gravity Dragon: Spinning Rear Kick!** "

"ARRGHH! God damnit, such a cheap shot!"

"This is a fight, y'know. Well… I say fight, but it's not really a fight. Cause you two are just standing there like a couple of sore thumbs."

"Go to hell. You cannot defeat us. **Shadow Dragon: Waxwing Flash!** " Rogue's entire body is cloaked in shadow, and vanishes into the ground as his partner starts attacking the bluenette, kiting her around until Rogue is behind her. He merges with the girl's shadow, locking her in place, wrapping his shadows around her like tendrils before feeding his magic into them.

"AHHH WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT!"

" **The First of the White Dragon reduces even fire itself to ash! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: HOLY NOVA!** " He bends his right arm backwards with his hand cupped, a sphere of light in his hand, his left outstretched in a shield. He rushes forward, a beam of light forming over his arm as he swings at the girl, still held in place by the shadow dragon as the beam envelopes all three of them.

The resulting explosion of light and shadow creates quite the show for all watching, an intricate dance of white and black light surrounding the contestants.

* * *

 **A/N: Yep. Totally went cliffhanger. It was intentionally unintentional. And I say that because I have had writer's block for about 2 weeks about how to get from where this one ends to the rest of the fight. I only needed one bloody paragraph, yet nothing sounded right for the transition. It's ok though, because I managed to get past it.**

 **ANYWHO! Yes, I'm aware there are plot holes! Some are intentional, others are not. The "intentionals" are to be explained at a later time, the "nots" are my inexperience in writing. I apologize.**

 **References:**

 **1\. OBVIOUS! Yes, Chun Li is heavily referenced. Essentially, Wendy's entire "Gravity Dragon" fighting style will be Chun Li-based. It's how I'm explaining her ability to defy gravity with ease on some of the kicks. Cheesy and corny, but effective if I do say so myself. Of course, some of her "Sky Dragon" attacks will be Chun Li-derived as well, only logical. I suppose I should be adding the disclaimer of not owning** ** _Street Fighter_** **as well. I cannot afford to be sued.**

 **Debating if I want Gajeel/Natsu to imitate** ** _Street Fighter_** **characters or not. Probably not... but we'll see. I just reeeeally wanted Wendy to look like Chun Li in this fight.**

 **OH! Yes. A lot of Wendy's one-liners and cheesy comments ARE actually Chun Li quotes from various video games. Super cheesy, I'm aware and I'm not sorry.**

 **And the dancing "it's a hyper combo" is Deadpool's schtick from _Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds._ I tried adding musical notes... buuut they didn't save. Bummer.**

 **2\. Yes, Peter Pan reference. "Fairy Flight" was a Tinkerbell reference that happened to fit nicely with her being a member of Fairy Tail.**

 **3\. AIR SCOOTER! HEHEHE! For those of you who are aware, yes, that is Avatar Aang's invention. For those of you not aware, it's from** ** _Avatar: The Last Airbender_** **. The show, not the terrible movie that made me want to cry at how bad it was. I am not ashamed to admit that literally, this ENTIRE fight sequence was an excuse to write in her using the Air Scooter in a fight. Well, to use it while riding in circles around while her copycat fights. Probably the most cheesiest thing ever, but I AM NOT ASHAMED! BAHAHA!**

 **Final note: Haven't decided if I want there to be just the two, or a third. I can literally write the completion either way, so let me know preferences. The number does not affect how the battle itself goes, merely how a few moments will be altered.**


	5. Blood and Sand

**A/N: The second half of the Wendy vs Twin Dragons battle. She kinda gets a bit sadistic towards the end. I will inform you all now, I heavily edited the effects of a few of her attacks. Especially the last one. If you must, imagine them several times worse than I've described them, and you'll get there.**

 **Per usual, my pocketbook obliges me to inform y'all that I still do not own Fairy Tail. *siiiigh***

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* * *

Re-cap from previous chapter:

" ** _The First of the White Dragon reduces even fire itself to ash!_** ** _Dragon Slayer Secret Art: HOLY NOVA!" He bends his right arm backwards with his hand cupped, a sphere of light in his hand, his left outstretched in a shield. He rushes forward, a beam of light forming over his arm as he swings at the girl, still held in place by the shadow dragon as the beam envelopes all three of them._**

 _ **The resulting explosion of light and shadow creates quite the show for all watching. An intricate dance of white and black light surrounding the contestants in a large ball, sending shadows soaring in every direction as the onlookers stare in awe.**_

* * *

 _Tenrou Island: X78?_

" _ **Gravity Dragon: Arresting Inertia!**_ " _Purple magic seals appear on the girl's body, showing on her arms, legs and exposed torso. She crouches down in a runner's stance before darting at her opponent, hand swinging at his face. "_ _ **Gravity Dragon: Orbital Impact!**_ " _The recipient dodges the girl's fist, before raising his own hand up, a large fist of purple flame forming and blocking the second large purple fist swinging towards him from the side._

" _Is that the best you can do?" the man asks, not even looking at the colliding elements above them as he dodges another swing by the girl._

 _Growling, she dances backwards out of his reach before swinging her leg at him. "_ _ **Gravity Dragon: Relativity Strike: Hundred Rending Legs!**_ " _After multiple roundhouse kicks, she alternates feet as her legs fly faster than the eye can follow, hitting high and low and everywhere in between. Her legs a blur, seeming to hit simultaneously in multiple spots before the girl suddenly jumps in the air._

" _ **Gravity Dragon: Hyper Asteroid Impact!**_ " _Her torso flips forward multiple times before crashing down, one leg forward, the other behind. To her surprise, her front leg is caught by her opponent._

" _Not bad, Wendy. You actually hit me quite a few times there. You've gotten faster. But you still don't have any power behind your kicks" the man comments, putting the girl's leg down._

" _But you keep saying that for me speed is more important than power!" she whines in retaliation, arms hanging as she pouts and stomps her feet._

" _Yes, because between your Gravity seals you have on, and your Sky seals, you can defy several laws of the universe when it comes to speed. It's your greatest ally in a fight, as you've just demonstrated by hitting me. However, speed will only get you so far. It doesn't matter how fast the fly is, it'll never defeat the bull. Right now you're a fly to my bull. The blade of grass can strike a rock a thousand times, but it will never break it."_

" _ARRGGHHH! NATSU! WHY DO YOU KEEP SPEAKING IN RIDDLES!?"_

 _The pinkette answers with a chuckle. "Some things must be learned the hard way. I can only show you the path. You must be the one to walk down it."_

" _MORE RIDDLES! GAHHH! No wonder Gajeel decided not to train with us today" she grumbles, turning away from her teacher._

 _Fighting back another chuckle, the elder instructor offers a deal. "Tell you what: if you can knock me down...no, even better. If you can make me move, as in leave my current position, I'll let you pick what we do next."_

 _Spinning around on a coin, the girl's eyes bulge out wide-eyed with a mile-wide smile. "REALLY?! You promise?"_

" _Promise. Show me your power, Wendy. Show me what you can do."_

* * *

 _Grand Magic Games Arena X79?_

"Are you serious? Is that the best you can do?"

The explosion and resulting dust clouds dissipate, just to show a certain bluenette holding the fist of the Sting in her right hand, and the shadow dragon slayer by his throat in her left.

"Was that your 'Unfailing skill'?" The mock question directed at the shadow slayer being held, a look of jeering contempt on her face as she looks between the two.

* * *

 _In the Stands_

"Th-that's impossible!" Lector cries out from the Sabertooth benches.

"How the hell did she stop that?" Orga asks in amazement.

"I have no memory of Sting's attack ever being blocked… or of anyone ever escaping from Rogue's grasp" Rufus comments from next to him.

"Is this the result of all that training…" Makarov ponders aloud, a mixture of emotions flitting across his face. "Did it make her THIS strong!?" he adds with cry, unable to hold back.

"You haven't seen anything yet, Gramps" came the only answer, to the shock of all.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"If that's the best you can do..." she began, pulling the white slayer towards her by his fist, kneeing him in the gut. "...then I'm afraid you have no chance against me." She twists his arm counter clockwise, then wrenches it to her, following with a sharp elbow. "I will say this: that was some good teamwork though." She pulls her hands together, punching Rogue in the face with her still-clutching-Sting's-hand-fist, before rearing it back and elbowing Sting in the face, then side-kicking and releasing him.

The newly freed hand plunges into Rogue's gut, before the attached elbow collides into his face. She twists her body away, lightly tossing Rogue in the air before spinning quickly and kicking him into his partner, who was still on his knees. "But even that wasn't enough." She slowly walks towards the two, noticing her counterpart come to stop behind them, still on her **Air Scooter** , the smile gone from her face.

"Give it up. You can't win. Go train, then come back and try again" she instructs, all emotion gone from her face.

"Never" the black haired man answers, wiping his face as he struggles to his feet.

"We won't lose to you!" the white haired man agrees, getting into his fighting stance. "We are Sabertooth! We are the most powerful guild! WE WON'T LOSE TO A FUCKING FAIRY!"

Shaking her head in disappointment, she glares at the two. "All you seem to understand is power. Power power POWER!" she rages, snarling at both of them as the immediate area around her starts swirling. Her Sky counterpart pushes between the two, startling them as they'd forgotten about her. She cancels her scooter and stands next to her Gravity sister, the swirling area growing as she does. "You want to see power! FINE!" They chorus, before stepping into the same spot, merging together again. A purple wave of power suddenly twists around her, her skin darkening as it does. " **Aspect of the Gravity Dragon!** "

Her entire body glows with a purple hue, her skin luminescent, seeming to only enhance her beauty, while terrifying at the same time. The increase in power is felt by all, the thumping in their chests not just their own heartbeats. Her hair takes on purple highlights, the blue darkening slightly to match the hue of the aura radiating around her.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"Aspect of the Gravity Dragon?" Mira queries of the slayers, her heart thumping at the young woman's increase in power.

"Yeah, first step to unlocking Dragon Force. Just like the name says, it's a morsel of what is to come."

Eyes widening, the take-over mage gawks at the pinkette. "Morsel?" she all but whispers, disbelieving the matter-of-fact tone he said it with.

"Morsel. Like I said, she is stronger now than when you all knew me before the Island."

"Does this mean the two Sabertooth mages are really that strong then?" Erza asks.

"Not a chance" the gruff slayer answers instead, arms crossed and watching their student. "She's down there to teach them a lesson for insulting Fairy Tail. Salamander here sent her to 'punish them, embarrass them, make sure they never forget who is truly number 1'." Grinning and chuckling lightly, he continues. "Apparently, these two are even bigger morons than we thought. So now she's teaching them just how out-matched they truly are."

"I'll be honest, I hope they learn that lesson before they piss her off."

"Why you said that, fire brain?"

"She's already threatened them they wouldn't walk out of this arena. If they piss her off, then it might become permanent."

"She wouldn't!" Lucy cries out, hands covering her mouth as her eyes bug out.

Glancing at the celestial mage, then taking in the other doubtful looks from his fellow guild members, he shares a look with his fellow slayer, who merely shrugs. Quickly debating if he should answer further and explain, or let them watch and wait, he decides on the former for fear of what implications the latter may lead to. "No, she wouldn't kill them, if that's what you're thinking" Natsu began slowly, various faces confirming that's exactly what they were thinking. "But paralyzing? No promises."

"But why? It's only a fight!" Lisanna calls out, questioning how her childhood friend could seem so callous.

Fighting a retort and a scoff, he turned a sad look on the first girl he held affections for. "No, it's not" he answers quietly, shaking his head slowly. "This stopped being 'only a fight' the moment they entered the arena. You don't truly understand what this might means to her. First, they've insulted Fairy Tail: her friends, her family, the ones that took her in when her first guild disappeared."

Erza, Lucy and Gray all nod at this, remembering the events that led up to Cait Shelter disbanding.

"Secondly, they've insulted me: her teacher, her best friend..." he glances at the frowning white exceed before correcting himself. "Second best friend, I should say. And not to mention our personal relationship." Gajeel snorts at that, and, despite himself, Natsu failed at fighting a chuckle. "And thirdly, they've insulted Wendy herself. On top of all that, they claim to be the strongest dragon slayers, which is a direct challenge to all three of us, and even Laxus for that matter." Said man merely raised an eyebrow in surprise at the comment, but otherwise did not respond.

"Then to top it off, they claim to have killed their dragons, their PARENTS! AND BRAG ABOUT IT!" He punches the wall behind their bench with jaw clenched, ignoring the spiderweb cracks before taking a few deep breaths and looking back up to his friend.

"No, Lisanna. This was never going to be 'only a fight'. This was a one-battle war from the get-go. And in wars, everything goes." With that sense of finality, he crosses his arms and turns back towards the fray, his fellow guild members exchanging uncertain looks between them.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"Oooh, the little girlie can power up. Whooptie do! IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH! **White Dragon** …"

" **Gravity Dragon: FALL!** " Extending her hands outwards as if halting an oncoming charge, a magic seal forms between her hands. As a result, a large area around the contestants, 30 meters in diameter, is suddenly under crushing weight. Both slayers, still in their Dragon Forces, are forced to the ground: Rogue to his knees, Sting hitting his face while mid-attack. He slowly gets into a kneeling position, his face grimacing as he fights against the immense weight. Together with his partner, they slowly stand up, watching the girl, whose hands are still outstretched and unmoving. Their stances crouched as they prepare an attack, Sting's hands cupped together, Rogue's in fists.

" **White Dragon: Laser Light!** "

" **Shadow Dragon: Dark Wave!** "

Sting's hands outstretch, palms together as a white laser rockets towards the immobile girl. His partner claps his hands together, a black pulse emanating in a vertical wall towards the same target.

At the exact moment their attacks are launched, the **Fall** spell ceases, both attacks fly over their intended target's head harmlessly, bouncing off the protective runes surrounding the arena. Before they can follow up, both are flung backwards by an unseen force, the only clue is a sole outstretched palm of a blue and purple-haired girl, who twists it and then beckons back towards her. The two flung men change directions nearly instantly, rocketing at the girl.

As they near, a second visage appears in the same place as the sole girl. Both boys are surprised by two mirrored arms cocked punching them with opposing hooks, their heads banging off each other, before mirrored legs kick them apart.

" **Gravity Dragon: Coulomb Force!** " The once again singular girl holds her bent left arm up in a fist, the previously unknown purple ball appearing between them, pulling them together violently. " **Gravity Dragon: Pendulum Swing!** " A vicious right kick into Rogue's stomach careens him into Sting, who bounces away before a sudden left kick rocks him into his partner. This quick barrage continues until mirrored kicks collide the two pinballs into each other. " **Gravity Dragon: Skyfall!** " Mirrored high kicks send the two in the air, the girl's arms reach up as if calling to the heavens. Two large purple visages of fists form above them, grasping each flyer. The girl throws her arms down, the fists following suit as the two are slammed into the ground.

Yet again, another cloud of dust forms in the landing area. The crowd sits in stunned silence; fear, awe, and wonder across many faces at the terrifyingly amazing display they just witnessed. Seeing the two heavy favorites be tossed around like ragdolls has shaken many people's faith in the so-called strongest guild Sabertooth.

"WHAT A DEVASTATING SMASHING ATTACK BY WENDY MARVELL! I DON'T SEE HOW THOSE TWO CAN GET BACK UP FROM THAT!"

Murmurs of agreement slowly spread as some come out of their trances, only to be silenced again as the two hands are seen again, each with a struggling slayer in them. The girl walking behind, holding her arms up, her hands gripped, mirroring her purple visages. She approaches the Sabertooth guild area, then throws both boys at their teammates, bouncing harmlessly off the runic wards protecting the non-fighting members from the arena.

"'Trash guild' you called us, huh?" the girl calls out the bare-chested guild leader positioned in the stands. The surrounding spectators make themselves sparse from his locale, his anger rolling off him in waves as he glares at the impertinent child before him.

Smirking, said child waves him off in dismissal before turning towards the Sabertooth team bench, ignoring the cracking sounds of stadium seats crunching and breaking. Her eyes landing on a blue-dressed raven haired woman staring her down, she matches said woman's eyes, neither blinking. "And you" the younger girl begins, poison dripping from her voice. "You thought they'd 'show the Fairies who the best guild is'." Smiling in a devilishly sweet manner, her vindictiveness prevalent for all. "I daresay they succeeded. WE…!" She sweeps her hand towards her own guildmates. "WE are the best guild. You furballs are dirt beneath our feet."

The gathered Sabertooth teammates snarl in retaliation, mouths opening to retort before the insulting girl is blanketed in a white funnel.

" **White Dragon: ROAR!** "

The light tunnel cedes, revealing a surprised girl standing there, covered in winds as if forming body armor. "Well well, you're still awake. And standing?" The last added with an eyebrow raise, conveying the depth of her surprise as the wind mail disappears. This only further angers the hard-breathing man, who merely growls in response as his face turns red in anger.

"At the very least you're more durable than I was giving you credit for" she trailed off, brushing the dust off of her qipao. "But then again, I was holding back. So what does that really tell you, I wonder."

"We'll show you 'holding back'" Sting declares, thrusting his left arm out behind him, a ball of white energy building up.

His partner, who had remained silent, mirrors his movement, his right hand building up a ball of black energy.

Wendy, sensing the new attack, looks up and raises an eyebrow in true surprise at what she's seeing. "A Unison Raid?"

The two balls of energy meld into one, forming a black and white dancing sphere, its size growing with every passing second. Their target, her face changing from surprise to glee, steps back into a crouch, her own power forming around her. " **Unison Raid! Holy Shadow Dragon: Flash Fang!** " The two slayers thrust their connected attack at the girl, punching in her direction.

" **Gravity Dragon Secret Art: Quantum Singularity: BLACK HOLE!** " Onlookers hardly have time to visualize the defenders action, seeing only her arms rotate clockwise, spinning a purple magic seal in front of them. The two spells collide in a vicious fashion; the twin slayers' attack dwarfing the sole woman's to the point of appearing to push her backwards. To those who notice, the excessive attack energy suddenly folds in on itself, coiling in towards the center where the girl would be standing.

After what seemed hours, while hardly a minute later, the duo lower their arms as the attack dissipates, the remaining auras swirling to a stop around a central point. Before them, on one knee, left arm covering her face, the right across her chest, the girl lowers her arms, looks around her at the damage to the arena, before looking back at the boys with a look of awe on her face. To many, this look confuses, as she'd been doing nothing but scorning her opponents. To a few, they accept it as the girl realizing just how powerful the duo were.

The two boys standing there are amongst the latter, smirks on both of their faces. The fact that the girl stands up without any trouble whatsoever is dark on them both, as is the fact her skin is still shimmering with a darkly beautiful purple hue.

"Impressive, isn't it" the raven-haired one asks, smirking at the girl's childish wide-eyes.

"Yes! Yes it was! Very impressive!" is the high-pitched squeaky response, clapping her hands excitedly.

"We told you how powerful we were" the bleach-haired one condescends, also smirking at the star-struck look.

Shaking her head, appearing to come out of her sudden shock, the girl waves off the comments. "What? Oh that! No no no, that wasn't impressive at all" she replies, before frowning in concentration. "Well, no, actually, I take that back. It WAS impressive… in a sense…" she dribbles off, before her face resuming its star-struck look as the two boys' brows furrow, confusion and anger on their faces. "No no, what was impressive was the Unison Raid! I didn't think the two of you could do it!"

Looking at each other with questioning glances, Rogue asks the singular question: "What do you mean?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" the girl asks, cocking her head again, a motion that immediately stokes the ire of both boys. "Unison Raids are REALLY hard to pull off! I didn't think you two were powerful enough to do it!"

That immediately set off both boys as realization sets in, that the girl was once again mocking them. Many in the crowd notice for the first time that the girl is still coated in the purple energy she'd been fighting with for some time. Whispers of wonder crawl through the crowd as the two on the field look like very, VERY ripe tomatoes. Some were swearing they could see steam coming out of the white haired man's ears.

"WHAAATTT!" The two chorus out, the blonde trembling with anger at the insult before him.

"You heard me" she dismisses, her hands going up to her hair, checking the buns. "But maybe all those hits to the head have thrown off your hearing" she comments dryly, her hands reaching the ribbons. "Maybe you should head to the…" her hands freeze for a moment, before frantically feeling around, realizing one is almost undone.

"Oh no! You knocked one of my hair buns out of alignment! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK SHERRIA AND I TO GET MY HAIR LIKE THAT!?" Squeezing her fists at her side and stomping the ground, the girl spins around and yells at a certain pinkette. "NATSU! THEY MESSED UP MY HAIR!" she whines, pointing at the two like a tattling schoolgirl.

"No time to fix it now, Wendy. Stop whining and get back to it" was her only verbal response, the mass laughter and chuckling from the guild notwithstanding.

"GRRR! FINE!" she stomps the ground again before tugging on the other bows and buns, setting her hair free in a cascade of purple and blue silk. "Knew I should have gone with pigtails" she mutters to herself, before a thought turns her face positively gleeful. "Then again, I can save that for tonight, hehehe" she dances on the balls of her feet as more confusion and disbelief spreads through the crowd.

As for the duo, they don't even bother responding with the exception of darting forward and taking swings at the girl. Said attacks looked to connect, before, with such carelessness only seen in those unaware of danger, she bends over and picks up one of the bow strings that had fallen to the ground. Both slayers miss, stumbling past her, before mirroring their turns, kicks swinging wildly.

The girl, still bent over, rolls forward in a casual somersault, the two kicks passing harmlessly over her head, only to collide into the other man in a comical double attack. The girl stands back up between the two boys now glaring at each other and the girl. Both then realize her position simultaneously, and, grinning, pull back their respective right hands, palm forward and fingers curled as white and black energies form in their respective hands.

" **Twin Dragon: Darklight Palm!** " The two drive their hands forward, beams of light coating each as the bluenette looks between them before meeting their hands with her own palms of purple energy. The colliding hands each create a splashing wall of energy, appearing to separate the three in a strange stance, two facing one way, the third the other. They stand there a moment before a large grin graces the woman's face.

"Yay! HIGH FIVE!" she suddenly calls out, before moving the paired hands up a bit. "Although, high fives are usually up here. That's why they're called 'High' Fives." She lowers them to their original height at chest level. "Here, they're just 'Fives'. And that's just boring. High Five" raises hands, "five" lowers hands. "See? Boring. Unless you were going for Low Five…" she lowers them, palms pulling away from each other. "But that's awkward, you'd have to turn your hands upside down." Doing so, she then giggles. "And now it looks like you're copping a feel. Oooh, kinky. You'd like that wouldn't you?" she adds in a sultry voice, winking at the dark haired man, whose surprise face becomes mortified, and jerks his hand back.

Grabbing his wrist, the girl's smile turns to a pout. "Why would you do that? Am I not pretty enough to get such attention? You're so mean!" She begins crying, stunning the watching crowd and most guild members, Fairy Tail included, before the crying suddenly halts with sharp cry.

"HEY! I didn't say YOU could cop a feel" the bluenette admonishes, now angrily gripping the bleached hair man's wrist, whose confused face only seemed to anger the girl more. "YOU'RE BOTH BIG MEANIES!" Still gripping the two wrists, she jumps up and kicks both of them in their faces, snapping them out of their mental states, before being twisted and thrown.

Once mid-air and sideways, both flying slayers inhale and puff out their chests, the girl matching them from the ground. " **Shadow Dragon** " " **White Dragon** " " **Gravity Dragon** "

" **ROOOARRR!** "

Two large black and white funnels seem to merge together, racing towards the lone girl. Her one large purple funnel engrosses the two and continues on unabated, colliding into both of them, completing their elevated journey to the arena wall, colliding into it yet again.

"You need more powerful abilities to win against me! You big meany heads" she grumbles the last, stalking towards the two slayers.

"What is with this chick" Sting asks his partner under his breath, wiping his face as he watched the girl walk towards them grumpily.

"I have no idea, but she is very unstable" Rogue answers quietly, fixing his jacket, not noticing the girl stopping.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING UNSTABLE YOU DICKLESS ASSWIPE!"

The sudden outburst startles both slayers. "How did the bitch know you called her 'unstable'?"

"I do not know…" the initial response was, before being startled again.

"You realize I am standing right here!? I can hear you whispering, morons." Both unconsciously step back at the sudden pressure they feel, surprised at its intensity as more purple aura surrounds the girl. "I think it's time to teach you sad, pathetic little boys another lesson. That you didn't realize I could hear you means neither of you have dragon-enhanced hearing." Shaking her head, her smile becomes even more feral, if that was possible. "I think it's time I beat it into you both just how outclassed you both are by being 3rd Generation. **Acclimation of the Gravity Dragon!** "

Her hair darkens even more, becoming a dark purple ombre with indigo peekaboos trailing through it. The shadow of scale-like formations crawl across her body, only enhancing the breathtakingly dark beauty of her. All potential and miniscule thoughts of the young woman being a demure little girl vanished at the sight, the tails of her qipao flapping in the newfound power, her skin practically iridescent with various hues of purple and dark blue ghosting her body.

Her eyes have begun changing as well, no longer the bright brown, but now a light plum color. Said eyes are now staring down the two boys, challenging them with their intensity, daring them to attack her. Most in attendance, and several amongst the gathered guilds, find themselves stepping or scooting back without realizing, not wishing to have said eyes fall upon them. The two on the field, however, were not amongst those. After the initial surprise, both began releasing more of their own energy, surprising many that the color of their energy began changing colors.

* * *

 _In the Stands_

"Well well, they have decided to go all out against her" Minerva remarks, her musketeer teammate nodding slightly.

"Indeed. They must have deemed her worthy of their full power" Rufus replies.

"They're gonna wipe the floor with the pipsqueak now" Ogra chimes in, grinning widely.

"Yeah! Sting and Rogue are the best!" Lector pipes up.

"Fro thinks so too!" his fellow Exceed complies.

"This is new" Natsu comments, surprise written on his face.

"Huh. Who'da thunk they had this up their sleeve?" his fellow slayer adds in, arms no longer crossed as he leans forward.

"What's going on? Why are they changing colors?" Lucy asks of the pair from her perch above them.

"Those two punks have two elements" the gruff slayer responds.

"It's a good thing too, actually…"

"Why do you say that, Natsu?" Erza asks of the man.

"Because this means Wendy can actually stop holding back a little bit and start dealing out some real punishment."

"You mean the kid's been holding back this whole time?" Laxus asks of the pair, surprise evident in his voice.

"Oh yeah. We're about to get a show…" Gajeel answers, before Natsu mutters "...for how long it lasts, that is..."

All further questions and comments are ignored by the pair as they focus on the going-ons below.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"What do you think, Rogue? Think it's time we end this little farce?"

"Yes, Sting. This has gone on too long" was the reply, the half of each of their faces changing colors.

" **White Dragon: Shadow Drive!** "

" **Shadow Dragon: White Drive!** "

Both slayers' surrounding auras now a mixture of black and white. The left half of Sting's face darkening, a solid line forming down the center as his right lightens up, white scales covering more of that half. His partner is a mirror image, his left half whitening with white scales, his right darkening with the additional black.

The two stand tall and proud, their surround energies a large circle around them, white and black flame-like spouts dancing across the ground, a menacing sight to most.

Without hesitation, the two launch themselves at the lone girl. The suddenness invisible to most, as was the following clash. Those who did see it, saw each side launch dozens of kicks and punches, many connecting on both sides as the sheer speed of it surprised those who had seen the previous day's fight between two Wizard Saints.

"Holy shit, this is almost as fast as Natsu and Serena" Laxus says astonished at the sheer speed of the fight.

"Not quite, but certainly close" Erza corrects, her eyes just as wide.

The fast-paced fight slows visibly, two kicks to the stomach sending the lone girl sliding backwards as the more aggressive Twin Dragon holds his hands to his side, palms up and right foot forward. " **White Shadow Dragon: BLAST!** " He steps forward, hands clapping together in front of him as a spectral horizontal tornado spirals towards the still-sliding girl.

" **Gravity Queen: Orbital Trajectory!** " Spinning, purple winds appear around her as she catches the attack, whips it around her body, and 'throws' it back at the launcher, catching him off-guard before firing a Dragon's Roar to counter it.

Behind her, though, the second slayer has appeared, hands in a ball. " **Dark Holy Dragon: Rough Silk!** " Pulling his hands apart, he spreads his fingers apart marianette-style, web-like lasers firing from each finger as they wrap up the girl, lifting her off the ground like a trapped insect. Magical energy pulsing into her as her blood-boiling screams echo the stadium, before suddenly silencing with a triumphant cry.

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHH...HAH!"

Wendy struggles momentarily, her eyes bugged out and hair flying before breaking free of the webbing, falling to the ground, landing on her feet hunched over. She takes a few deep breaths, appearing to be breathing hard before throwing back her head, her arms bent and hands raised slightly towards the sky, laughing maniacally to the confusion of all.

"HAHAHAHA! FINALLY! NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" she thunders loudly, both slayers incredulous at the unhurt woman. "THAT'S POWER WORTH FIGHTING AGAINST!"

Before either can move, the girl spins and hooks Rogue by his neck with her foot and throws him at his partner. She follows his trajectory, punching him in the chest as his teammate catches him, sending both sliding backwards. The attack doesn't stop there as she spins for another kick.

The normally white-haired man manages to block said kick, dropping his teammate in the process, who lands and tackles the girl to the ground. She gets her feet up under him and kicks him off, flipping forward and landing on her feet as the White Dragon Slayer comes in for a punch. The girl blocks it, but at the expense of her balance as she finds herself once again rolling through the dirt before somersaulting backwards into her stance.

This is short-lived as the duo catch her off-guard again, putting her on the defensive as multiple double attacks come closer and closer to landing as they try knocking her into the other. " **White Shadow Dragon: Hyper Haymaker!** " His punch speed increases again, light clones of his swings seen trailing behind as she frantically blocks all of them to the best of her abilities.

Not to be left out, his partner decides to take the low road. " **Dark Holy Dragon: Talon Fury!** " With his own light trail following, he arcs his right leg in what is promising to be a debilitating attack to send her further within his partner's punches. Unfortunately for him, his target had other plans.

Not as off-guard as she appeared, with lightning speed Wendy turns from the next storm of punches and grabs the swinging leg. In a subsequent move faster than most can follow, she continues the spin and, swinging the slayer like a club, throws him into his partner, their stomachs colliding as they twist up like a pretzel, their momentum cancelling each other out as they fall in a heap.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail_

"Did… did she just use one guy to hit the other…?" Mira asks between breaths, torn between laughing and gawking, the resulting sound a squawking mixture, a slow high-pitched whine if you will.

The two slayers, however, are not so torn. Their eyes watering in tears as they laugh uncontrollably at the turn-around, the fire user barely managing a nod as they pound their fists on the balcony.

"That's... I... what?" Lucy manages, her voice being lost in her throat, disbelieving such an antic would be used in a fight.

"That's about right, Luce" her bluenette friend adds in, doing her best not to giggle at the faces around her, or the two slayers below her gasping for air in between bouts of laughter.

"'Use a bitch to hit a bitch' I think is what she'd say" Natsu ecks out between fits.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"You two started using my own attacks against me. I'm impressed. Time to repay the favor! **Gravity Dragon: Null Force!** " Another purple ball appears over the two, pulling them both in the air. Once again, another visage appears among the girl, mirrored legs side-kicking the two hanging boys. " **Gravity Dragon Secret Art!** "

Wendy has now split into two again, this time her thought projection an exact duplicate as they separate, each steadily moving to encircle the opposing duo, not letting up the kicks and punches. " **Quantum Singularity!** " They counter retaliating swings, each slayer now one-on-one with an opponent, the twin dragons back-to-back as they face the onslaught.

" **White Hole!** " Both girls rotate their arms counter-clockwise, their purple auras whitening, turning to a bright lightened lavender as magic seals form between their arms. The two boys squint, trying to keep their eyes on their opponents, but failing under the bright light. " **Recall: FLASH FANG!** " Both girls step forward, palms side-by-side and pushing towards the center as black and white attacks slam together in the center, a massive sphere of dancing colors building in power as the boys' screams are barely heard over the cacophony building in the arena.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"HOLY SHIT BISCUITS!" the ice mage screams out, not believing what he's seeing.

"'Holy shit biscuits'? Really?" his rival asks, scoffing at the chosen explicative.

Ignoring the comment, or not hearing it in his surprise, the bare chested mage barrels on. "How is she using their attack? Does she have White Dragon and Shadow Dragon magic too?!"

"GRAY YOUR CLOTHES!" The lush yells at him, though her focus is on the fire slayer, wondering the same thing.

"Don't be stupid, of course she doesn't" the metal slayer answers, digging at the scrambling man looking for his shirt.

"Then how did she use their attack like that?" the celestial mage asks of the duo.

"I imagine it has something to do with her earlier attack, **Black Hole** " the strawberry cake-loving girl asks, an eyebrow raised at the duo. "The **Flash Fang** attack from earlier did seem to disappear a little too fast for one of that size and power. If I had to guess, the **Black Hole** absorbed the attack, didn't it?"

Levy, following the elder girl's train of thought, suddenly cries out in realization. "If that was the case, then a **White Hole** theoretically would be its opposite, spitting out what the **Black Hole** absorbed. Isn't that right, Gajeel?"

Fighting a smile, said slayer turns and looks up at the petite bluenette. "Yeah, you got it, shrimp." His face betrays him at the last moment, a small smile tugging his lips as he turns around, not seeing the blushing bluenette snatching up a surprised Pantherlily and squeezing him happily.

"Air… must breath… please let go" he ecks out, trying and failing to free himself from the girl squealing into his fur.

* * *

 _On the Field_

The building cocaughany abruptly silences, for the most part, as two bodies jet out in opposite directions, each rolling to a stop before slowly standing, both swaying slightly as if in a stupor.

"WHAT AN INCREDIBLE ATTACK! WITH JUST OVER FIVE MINUTES LEFT, WENDY MARVELL HAS SHOCKED THE ARENA AGAIN BY USING THE TWIN DRAGONS' ULTIMATE ATTACK AGAINST THEM! HOW CAN THEY POSSIBLY RESPOND TO THAT?!"

The two identical girls step forward, turning back-to-back as they face the two drunken young men. "Well…" they both call out, getting the attention of their targets. "...Are you two going to fight back, or are you going to surrender?"

"WE'LL NEVER SURRENDER TO THE LIKES OF YOU!" Sting calls out, getting himself in a fighting stance as his partner across the way does the same.

"Good" the two girls echo, holding their right hands out in a beckoning motion to their respective opponents, the words ' **COME ON** ' in blue and purple on their fingers. "Bring it big boy, let's see what you've got!"

The two opposing men charge at the duo in the center. Both girls repel their respective attackers, blocking each attack with gritty determination. In a move that shocks the two men, the two Wendy's suddenly spin and attack the boy their mirror was fighting off. It clearly worked, as the two boys are rocked sideways: Sting towards the still-open chasm, Rogue towards the wall.

Recovering quickly, they charge again. Both Wendy's link left hands, still facing away from each other. They step out, both leveling a kick at their respective's gut, before rotating clockwise, still linked, and Sparta-kicking their opposite. With the second attack succeeding, Sting once again slides towards the chasm edge, nearly falling into it before darting forward again, Rogue mirroring his actions from the wall. Changing their grip, one Wendy hooks her arm over her shoulder, pulling the other in an arc, throwing her into Sting.

Landing on his shoulders in an impossible fashion, Wendy 2 flips backwards immediately and leg tosses him into the hole in the arena floor, before jumping down after him.

Wendy 1, after throwing her sister, back-kicks a startled Rogue, who then grabs the leg in his gut and throws the now startled-woman towards the wall he'd just arrived from. Chasing after her, he catches up to her as she lands on her feet, cupping her by the neck and slams her into the concrete wall.

After the obligatory "OOMPH" the ombre'd woman headbutts him in return before kneeing him in the family jewels. As every man watching groans in sympathy, many bent over with their fellow male, the unrelenting woman takes advantage and repays the head into the concrete wall, but this time face first.

While this is happening, the duo in the hole have been trading off fists, each one sending the other into the opposite wall as they slowly descend, leaping from outcrop to outcrop as their exchanges continue.

Landing in a crouch on the rock-littered floor, both charge at each other, landing punches on each other's jaw. Spinning around from the force of the hits, Sting turns to swing high again, while Wendy went low and kicks high. Her leg inside of the man's arm, the white dragon slayer is catapulted into the air, recovering quickly enough to sprout his **White Dragon Wings** again, hovering mid-air while glaring in condescension at the grounded woman.

"You'll never defeat me!" His hands outstretched, indicating his wings, the man continues his tirade. "Dragons belong in the skies, and the skies belong to the dragons! And until you can fly like a dragon, you can never defeat a dragon!"

With a predatory smile that would make most men's hearts go cold, the woman takes a couple steps forward, before one step doesn't quite reach the ground. Smirking, the woman steps up into seemingly mid-air, taking another one even higher than the first, slowly making her ascension. "You're right, for once" she concedes, tilting her head. "The skies do belong to the dragons…" The still hovering man watches stunned as the woman stops mid-air a few feet below him, crouching in mid-air. "AND I RULE THE SKIES!" Springing with remarkable force, the Wendy launches herself at the man.

Reacting purely on instinct, the winged man manages to avoid the tackle, only to be stunned again as the woman stops mid-air with a flip. Her feet landing on something solid unseen, she changes directions and dives at the man yet again.

Realizing the air was not the sanctuary he initially believed, he takes to speed and takes off for the open air. Onlookers who had been following their half of the fight see him bolt out of the open hole as a blue and purple-haired bullet crashes into him from behind moments later. His wings broken, the two continue their trajectory in a casual arc, wrestling for dominance. Neither succeeding in the short time, they crash into the ground, breaking apart. Rolling to his feet, Sting activates his Wings again, and tears after his opponent.

Tackling her midriff, he carries them both into the second pair of fighters. His aim on point, and with some lucky timing, the duo crash into the second Wendy, the momentum taking them all into the concrete wall yet again.

With a double punch, both Wendy's knock him backwards before stepping into each other, fusing once again. The now lone woman spins and kicks at them mid-air. Thinking she was losing it, the less reserved of the duo charges in, against the protest of the more cautious. The result was a blast of air catching him in the stomach, sending him flying in a rolling heap yet again, his partner blocking the gust with a raised arm.

Looking up, both see the girl's body covered in a black, misty aura. Only moments later, a midnight blue pulse emanates from her. Smiling ferally in satisfaction, the woman partially cups her hands together, a ball of energy in the opening. The blonde scrambles to his feet, and using his enhanced speed due to his wings, darts to his partner again as both begin forming their own attacks.

The momentary stand-off ending, the twin dragons fire off their attacks.

" **White Shadow Dragon: Cleansing Light!** "

" **Dark Holy Dragon: Punishing Darkness!** "

Two black and white lasers converge on the woman as two points of a V meet their apex. Without dodging, Wendy chose this moment to respond. " **Sky Leviathan: Hyper Mallet!** " A comically large mallet forms in her hands, and with a mighty swing deflects the two attacks like a tennis shot, sending them off into the sky. Completing her swing, she brings it around and smashes it down on the two slayers.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"Sky _Leviathan_?" Laxus, to the surprise of all, asks of the two slayers, emphasizing with incredulity the word Leviathan.

"Result of fusing God Slayer and Dragon Slayer magics of the same element. Half dragon, half god, you get a leviathan."

"So when you fused your fire magics yesterday…?" Erza starts, fighting off the shock.

"Yep, Flame Leviathan. It's too bad you can't absorb God Magic, Laxus. Getting some of that Sabertooth bastard's God Lightning would be pretty sweet. I know I'm gonna."

"Fuck you, Natsu."

* * *

 _On the Field_

Realizing their plight with a fraction of a second before impact, both dodge out of the way, the mallet splitting the two as it impacts with a ear-splitting *CRASH*.

Not deterred for a moment, Wendy turns and swings it in a large arc, catching the blonde on its head, the raven again dodging out of the swing. Spinning around a few more times, the slayer somehow still on the mallet's end screaming, Wendy pulls it over her shoulder like a carnival game and pounds it into the ground. With Sting getting another dirt facial, a dust cloud plumes for the ump-teenth time this match.

Cancelling the spell, Wendy looks around for his partner before ducking under yet another laser, but did not avoid the tackle that careens into her. Rolling and kicking him off, she comes up and searches for her opponent. Not seeing him, she goes on her guard, searching the skies, the grounds, only seeing the blonde slowly clambering to his feet a short distance away.

Using her nose, she continues to smell him nearby, but her eyes and ears are failing to locate him. Turning to frustration, she starts to swirl the air around her in an ever increasing area, wondering if he'd made himself invisible somehow and the displaced air would locate him for her.

On cue, the moment she began searching, her whole body seizes up. Locked in place, frustration turns to panic as her body stops responding. Still standing in the crouched position, hands mid-twirl at the side, the woman's only movement her eyes searching for a way to move her body.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the blonde looks around for the one who flattened him. Seeing her a short ways away, standing there unmoving, he becomes enraged again, and charges at her, landing his strongest punch into her face.

Unable to block, Wendy braces herself as much as she can for the impact, as well as the resulting tumble her body gave into, flopping around in a rolling heap.

If she wasn't already panicking enough, her body, as if a puppet's strings being pulled by an amateur marionettist, awkwardly gets to its feet, standing there like an elderly woman leaning on her cane.

Having been surprised by the woman taking the hit, Sting watches in confused wonderment at the woman's visibly abnormal movements. Looking around and not seeing his partner anywhere, the light clicks on in understanding as his face lights up in triumph, a cry of victory leaving his gaping mouth.

"YES! HAHA! ROGUE DID IT!" he calls out, his arms raised above his head in celebration.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"Son of a bitch… he actually did do it" Natsu mutters, the first look of concern on his face, mixed with amazement.

"What did he do?" Gajeel asks, still searching for the missing slayer.

"This looks much the same as what God Serena did to you during your fight, Natsu" Erza suggests, also searching for the missing man.

"That's because it is. We didn't think he could do it. Holy shit, Wendy might actually be in trouble" Natsu confirms, still fighting through the shock.

"What are you talking about?" Gray asks, but receiving his response from the field.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"Rogue got you with his **Shadow Puppet**. Hahaha! You are as useless as a rag doll now" the blonde mocks, stepping up to her and punching her in the gut to prove his point. An involuntary gasp for air leaves her body, breathing being one of the few functions she still retains a modicum of control of.

"And now, we're going to prove once and for all why we are the strongest slayers, and you are a pathetic... WEAKLING" the man emphasizes with a flurry of punches, followed by a knee to the gut that sends her sprawling again.

Waiting for her to get back to her feet, or rather the puppeteer elevating his puppet, the man focuses his magical energy around him, building it up for what looks to be a final, devastating attack. Magic gathering around his hands, he stares down the woman, his hands at his side, palms facing her. Raising them up as if holding a book in reverence, he crouches down, one knee on the ground. " **Holy Darkness Dragon Secret Arts: Herald of the Fallen: Stormlight's Abyss Cannon!** " A weapon resembling a bazooka, but much larger forms in his hands, and he immediately shoulders it.

Aiming at the girl's upper torso, and with a smile that screams victory, he pulls the trigger. The kick-back sending him sliding backwards a few meters, a nearly solid black and white iridescent missile bombards the girl, her eyes the only visible reaction, shaking in fear as she is slammed into the surrounding wall, the impact a thunderclap throughout the arena. The answering silence very much resembling the calm before the storm, except most are wondering if the storm has just passed with yet another turn around.

His attack finished, Sting staggers to his feet, his magic clearly waning as he watches on as the dust cloud slowly begins settling. Still smiling in victory, he begins rubbing his shoulders, tensing at the aches he knows he'll feel later.

"WHAT A REMARKABLE ATTACK! AFTER SOMEHOW DISABLING WENDY MARVELL, THE WHITE DRAGON OF SABERTOOTH JUST FIRED OFF ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING ATTACKS I HAVE EVER SEEN! I DON'T THINK THE FAIRY TAIL MAGE WILL BE GETTING UP FROM THIS ONE!"

Seeing the games' foreshortened host charging into the dust cloud, Sting begins searching again for his teammate. Presuming he was still attached to the girl, he slowly begins stepping towards the collision point, hoping he didn't hurt his teammate. However, he is brought out of his musings by a few successive coughs.

Being higher pitched than the sound he is used to hearing, Sting stops mid-step, mentally hoping it was the weird pumpkin guy coughing, not willing to believe the girl could've survived his best attack.

"No, it's ok. I can still fight" he hears the soft voice

"Are you sure? That was a pretty hard hit you just took" the squeaky announcer asks worriedly.

"Yes, I'm sure. I admit, I'm gonna be feeling that one for a while, but I'm fine."

"Your call, only a couple minutes left. Better get to it!" And with that he dashes out of the column of dust, the pair of blue and black eyes following after him, jaw dropped.

*Cough cough.* "Fucking shit that hurt. Ohhh I'm gonna be sore in the morning. Couldn't even brace myself. Fuck me sideways that hurt." *Cough cough.* "Ugghh...now to get out of this…"

The air finally clearing, the disbelieving man gapes at the sight, holding his left arm, jaw askew.

Deeply embedded in the wall is the girl, shaking her head, looking at the damage around her. Sensing eyes on her, she looks up and meets the eyes of the man still gawking at her. Seeing the look of unbelievingness, she begins giggling. At first to herself, she loses control and begins outright laughing.

"WENDY MARVELL SURVIVED! I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT WENDY MARVELL SURVIVED! OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS AMAZING!"

After a few seconds of bursting laughter, she regains her composure with silent shudders, taking deep breaths to get herself under control. "Well… that was exciting."

The words finally snapping him out of his stupefaction, the unanswered questions spill out. "Where's Rogue? How are you talking? How do you still have control of your magic? HOW DID YOU SURVIVE THAT?!"

Fighting off more giggles at the tumultuous query, she attempts to answer with the least amount of mocking. 'Attempts' being the key word there. "I don't know where Rogue is, but I imagine he's still keeping me company. You said **Shadow Puppet**? That would explain why I can't seem to move my body. The most clever thing you two have done all day, I'll admit that much.

"As for how I'm talking, I am guessing your buddy here released my head and…" wiggling, she manages a partial shrug of her shoulders. "...Yep, also my shoulders. It seems he didn't want to be on the receiving end of your attack. Not bad, by the way. A bit underpowered, but not bad. I'll be sore for a while, that's for sure. Anyways, what was the next one you asked...OH! My magic. Well that one should be obvious. His **Shadow Puppet** dealio here doesn't stop me from using my magic, just my body. Unlike your stigmata that stops my magic but not my body. So...yeah, I'm still in my Acclimation here. Next time you should probably use your stigma in conjection… ooh conjection, I like that word too. I don't know how I know that word but I like it. Hope I'm using it correctly, I'll ask Carla about that one as well… but anyways, use the two in conjection with each other next time, it'll be much more effective.

"As for how I survived that? I believe I've already answered that, with still having use of my magic and your attack being underpowered. For all the hubbub you put into it, I expected it to be better. Then again, I WILL be sore for a while because of that, so I'll give you some props. I wish your buddy here would at least get us out of this wall. It's very uncomfortable, and I feel as if I'm giving an invisible man a lap dance."

With that last, her body suddenly jerks forward, landing unsteadily, but remaining upright. Fighting off more giggles at the shadow's antics, she looks down and checks out the damage done to her dress. Sighing deeply, hoping it's still salvageable, she returns her gaze to the man before her.

"Well, we've still got some time. Are we gonna finish this fight? Or should I just end it now? You look as if you're about to fall over, so I wouldn't blame you for stopping now. You did a pretty decent job, all things considered."

The backhanded compliments not lost on him, the man's countenance darkens again, anger creeping up his face. "Sure, let's finish this. It won't be much of a fight as you can't even move your own body, so I'll make this quick. You did your best, no one can hold that against you. But it still wasn't enough!"

"You haven't seen my best yet" the woman corrects, now smiling sweetly at the man. "You think you've beaten me? I admit, this Shadow Puppet thing is VERY annoying. Your friend here has some nice tricks. But you think you've seen my best? Not a chance. But please, let me show you!" she delivers with a wicked smile, her hair starts changing colors again, the purple all but vanishing as a pink hue bleeds through the blue and overwhelming the purple, her now wild hair clashing violently with everyone's previous perception. " **SKYBREAK!** " A pink and blue explosion consumes her in a cocoon of energy as scales crawl across her skin, more magenta and cyan than anything. Small groupings of feather-like wings form around her wrists, ankles, back of her thighs and shoulders.

To everyone's surprise, none moreso than the blonde before her, a black-haired man is violently ejected from the girl's shadow, crashing into him as both tumble to the ground entangled. Both stumble to their feet, a mix of awe and aches affecting their balance as the woman's sheer power is practically humming, her brilliant pink eyes gazing upon them emotionless.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail Bench_

"You have got to be kidding…" An astonished Gray mutters, jaw hanging open.

"Is that Wendy's Dragon Force?" Mira whispers, not really expecting an answer to the obvious.

"One of them" Natsu answers anyways, a very lopsided grin on his face as he stands next to his proud teammate, both with their arms crossed.

"This match is over" said partner grunts, mixing a sneer in with his grin somehow.

* * *

 _On the Field_

"Now do you understand?" the woman, whose voice is suddenly deeper, more mature, demands of the two wide-eyed before her. "You two never had a chance against me. ME! Together, the two of you couldn't even beat ME! And you two small, pathetic, wanna-be half-assed useless wastes of existence think either of you could have faced Gajeel, let alone Natsu. You are very, VERY mistaken." Her face slowly contorts to anger, stepping forward towards the duo, her footsteps kicking up dust from the rolling power. "And you call yourselves dragon slayers." She spits very unladylike to the side, a scowl now formed on her lips. "You disgrace the name."

The Twin Dragons are brought out of their shock by her mostly collected rant. Their anger replacing their fear and awe as she continued on.

"Unless the two of you have some hidden trick up your sleeves, you may as well surrender now" she callously offers, the demand heavily explicit. "This is your last chance to walk out of this arena. Otherwise… I will finish this. And it will hurt. A lot."

"Take your offer and shove it up your ass, bitch. Then go to hell while you're at it" Sting ripostes with more bravado than he actually had, crouching down preparing for the final bout.

Seeing his partner equally as determined, Wendy nods her affirmation. "Very well." The words sliding into home like a blade into its sheath, eliminating all pretense of mercy.

Launching themselves at the woman once more, the two trade off swings and kicks, frustration mounting as she avoids them all with ease, not even bothering to retaliate. This only serves to anger the two even more as they throw everything they have left at the woman. Grabbing both their wrists, Wendy twists and flips them both over her shoulder, before completing the spin with a flourish of her hands.

" **Gale Dragon: Eye of the Storm!** " The same twister-like formation forms around them, the same that was seen used by God Serena against Natsu the day before.

Thinking her attention was diverted, the two charge at her yet again. As they reached her, she vanished before their eyes. " **Tempest Dragon: Jetstream!** " The Sky Dragon Slayer reappearing behind them, their momentum is viciously changed by a rope of wind to the heads, flipping them sideways, matching the woman's hands. The two careen into the wind barrier, which they summarily get sucked into a current, bringing them around back to the waiting pinkette.

" **Sky Dragon Queen: Atrophic Gust!** " Punching at the two with a left hook, a large pink and blue visage of a fist forms, resulting in a powerful counter wind that pummels them skyward. Were one to look closely, a multitude of spider web-like winds would be seen lacing their bodies with blood creeping through the torn skin. Their screams of pain testifying to the very vicious attack as the upward burst of air dissipates. The two free-fall back to the earth, only barely managing to form their wings to avoid crashing altogether.

Landing as lightly as their current statuses would allow, the two mirror their palms again, forming their energies between them as the girl steps towards them without hurry. " **Unison Raid! Brilliant Nightmare Dragon: Divine Torment!** "

Their largest attack yet, the twin dragons dig deep for this final surge of power between them. The back-lashing tornado forming behind them breaking against the stormy walls, turning the grayish-blue into an eerie mixture of black, white, and gray with blue streaks. Blood dripping off their arms, legs and faces, soaking into the ground at their feet, the two boys with all their might bring their other hands together, and throw the attack at the woman now only feet away.

The resulting explosion is enough to finally break through the wind wall, the eerie colors fading away. All eyes, though, are on the three at the center. Two of them in disbelief once again, Wendy stands before them, both hands out blocking their attack from hitting her directly, solid grey winds surrounding her body, slowing to reveal her clothing as undamaged as it was before.

Lowering her hands, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. " **Eye of Harmony!** " A purple explosion erupts from her, dancing in tandem with her pink. Before her body begins changing, a second Wendy steps out from her, her hair solid royal purple to match her eyes, noir skin completely covered in scales now, radiating dark beauty in contrast to her double's determined innocence.

"Congratulations" the two girls choir, emotionless as they look between the two. "You are no longer novice Dragon Slayers. You're now ready to become apprentices. Well done."

Anger trying to seep its way into them again, Sting and Rogue stumble backwards instead, exhaustion catching up to them after depleting themselves in their last attack, only slightly managing to keep their feet.

"And now, as I said at the beginning..." Wendy's 1 and 2 both chorus, looking between the two. "...now that you have lost, you will have to be punished."

Stepping apart from each other to nearly arm's length, both begin swirling their energies around them, Sky's right and Grav's left hands meet, forming a ball between them of dark purple and brilliant blue. At first a small sphere the size of a baseball, it gradually grows to envelope their hands. The power belies its size, however, as the swirling winds and gravitational pull it's projecting violate the ground beneath it, fissures of stone forming as all sense of direction vanishes in the women's immediate area, rock flying in every which way.

" **Double Dragon: Breaking the Horizon!** " The ball of energy is throw, not at the two boys, but above them, fifty feet off the ground. Following it in confusion, the small unassuming orb suddenly implodes, all but vanishing from the eye. Before anyone could question this, an array of what look like storm clouds suddenly form, a funnel dipping down from it. This funnel, both blue and purple, is unlike any ever seen as, instead of clockwise or counter-clockwise, the winds are somehow turning in both directions at once.

Seeing what fate lay in store, with whatever energy they can muster, the twin dragons attempt to flee, running through and past the girls waving, whose hands are guiding the funnel towards its intended target. Right before the two make it to the exit tunnel, the mouth of the storm touches down, encasing them. They are immediately pulled into the storm funnel, flipping and twisting in every imaginable direction, before being jerked immediately in the opposite, over and over again, giving whiplash after whiplash as hurricane winds meet gentle breezes, then instantly reversing. And if that wasn't enough, the pressure on their arms and legs keep changing: one feeling as if it were being put through a juicer, the other feeling as if being peeled off, and everywhere in between, cycling between their appendages in both relief and torment.

As blood begins mixing into the cloud, the two girls simultaneously clap their hands together as if clutching a rope, and yank on said invisible rope with massive heaves. The cloud formations silence and still immediately, but not before the funnel turns horizontal and spits out two bodies, which crash into the ground, unmoving.


	6. Chapter 6

Story currently on hiatus.

Sorry about that. I saved all my storyboard items for this story on a flash drive... then lost the flash drive during the move. Next 10 chapters or so were on it. Sooo... taking me quite a while to rewrite everything.

I don't know when I'll have the next chapter out. Sorry y'all.


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